
The Chocolate War
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.60
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Frank Muller
-
By:
-
Robert Cormier
About this listen
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
To Kill a Mockingbird
- By: Harper Lee
- Narrated by: Sissy Spacek
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep south - and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred, available now for the first time as a digital audiobook. One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than 40 languages, sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the 20th century by librarians across the country.
-
-
A gift to be treasured
- By David Shear on 07-09-14
By: Harper Lee
-
I Am the Cheese
- By: Robert Cormier
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the back of Adam Farmer's mind, he always knew there was something not quite right about his family. It was more than just the fact that his dad seemed to be stoically going through the motions or that his sad-eyed mother spent most of her time in her room. Somewhere in the recesses of Adam's memory, he recalled a frantic journey in the middle of the night, hurried like criminals onto a bus, staring out the windows at some dark, malevolent thing none of them could see.
-
-
A classic
- By David on 09-14-17
By: Robert Cormier
-
After the First Death
- By: Robert Cormier
- Narrated by: Casey Holloway, Jed Drummond, Phillip Church, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who will be the next to die? They've taken the children. And the son of a general. But that isn't enough. More horrors must come…
-
-
it was great i didnt want to stop reading
- By Kanah Balfour on 04-23-17
By: Robert Cormier
-
Lord of the Flies
- By: William Golding
- Narrated by: William Golding
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marooned on a tropical island, alone in a world of uncharted possibilities, and devoid of adult supervision or rules, a group of British boys begins to forge a society with its own unique rules and rituals.
-
-
Great story - bad narration
- By A Mom on 03-05-08
By: William Golding
-
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (10th Anniversary Edition)
- By: Sherman Alexie
- Narrated by: Sherman Alexie
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
-
-
Beautiful novel - but wait and think before extra content
- By Shannon Ellison on 09-10-20
By: Sherman Alexie
-
The Outsiders
- By: S. E. Hinton
- Narrated by: Jim Fyfe
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his friends. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up "greasers" like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect, until the night someone takes things too far.
-
-
The Outsiders
- By Carol on 01-25-06
By: S. E. Hinton
-
To Kill a Mockingbird
- By: Harper Lee
- Narrated by: Sissy Spacek
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep south - and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred, available now for the first time as a digital audiobook. One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than 40 languages, sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the 20th century by librarians across the country.
-
-
A gift to be treasured
- By David Shear on 07-09-14
By: Harper Lee
-
I Am the Cheese
- By: Robert Cormier
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the back of Adam Farmer's mind, he always knew there was something not quite right about his family. It was more than just the fact that his dad seemed to be stoically going through the motions or that his sad-eyed mother spent most of her time in her room. Somewhere in the recesses of Adam's memory, he recalled a frantic journey in the middle of the night, hurried like criminals onto a bus, staring out the windows at some dark, malevolent thing none of them could see.
-
-
A classic
- By David on 09-14-17
By: Robert Cormier
-
After the First Death
- By: Robert Cormier
- Narrated by: Casey Holloway, Jed Drummond, Phillip Church, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who will be the next to die? They've taken the children. And the son of a general. But that isn't enough. More horrors must come…
-
-
it was great i didnt want to stop reading
- By Kanah Balfour on 04-23-17
By: Robert Cormier
-
Lord of the Flies
- By: William Golding
- Narrated by: William Golding
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marooned on a tropical island, alone in a world of uncharted possibilities, and devoid of adult supervision or rules, a group of British boys begins to forge a society with its own unique rules and rituals.
-
-
Great story - bad narration
- By A Mom on 03-05-08
By: William Golding
-
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (10th Anniversary Edition)
- By: Sherman Alexie
- Narrated by: Sherman Alexie
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
-
-
Beautiful novel - but wait and think before extra content
- By Shannon Ellison on 09-10-20
By: Sherman Alexie
-
The Outsiders
- By: S. E. Hinton
- Narrated by: Jim Fyfe
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his friends. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up "greasers" like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect, until the night someone takes things too far.
-
-
The Outsiders
- By Carol on 01-25-06
By: S. E. Hinton
-
Speak
- 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Laurie Halse Anderson
- Narrated by: Mandy Siegfried, Ashley C. Ford, Jason Reynolds, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From her first moment at Merryweather High, Melinda Sordino knows she's an outcast. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, a major infraction in high-school society, so her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't know glare at her. She retreats into her head, where the lies and hypocrisies of high school stand in stark relief to her own silence, making her all the more mute.
-
-
Recommend with Slight Reservations
- By FanB14 on 05-21-12
-
Of Mice and Men
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Gary Sinise
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Celebrating its 75th anniversary, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men remains one of America's most widely read and beloved novels. Here is Steinbeck’s dramatic adaptation of his novel-as-play, which received the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play in 1937-1938 and has featured a number of actors who have played the iconic roles of George and Lennie on stage and film, including James Earl Jones, John Malkovich and Gary Sinise.
-
-
KETCHUP
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 01-11-17
By: John Steinbeck
-
The Giver
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Ron Rifkin
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve-year-old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man, the man called only the Giver, he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.
-
-
This guy's mouth makes some serious noises...
- By Nikki Cole on 07-09-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
Monster
- By: Walter Dean Myers
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I'll call it what the lady who is the prosecutor called me: Monster.
-
-
A wonderful book -- weak audio cast
- By Cari on 05-20-11
-
A Separate Peace
- By: John Knowles
- Narrated by: Scott Snively
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Now a modern classic, this story of two boys' friendship at an exclusive New Hampshire prep school as it parallels the inescapable and escalating atmosphere of World War II, is intense and engaging to the last word.
-
-
How can one fault a Classic like this?
- By Theodore on 06-02-13
By: John Knowles
-
Looking for Alaska
- By: John Green
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words - and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet François Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps”. Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young, who will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.
-
-
I am concussed dot-dot-dot
- By Bren McKenna on 10-01-19
By: John Green
-
The Power of One
- By: Bryce Courtenay
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 21 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in a South Africa divided by racism and hatred, this one small boy will come to lead all the tribes of Africa. Through enduring friendships with Hymie and Gideon, Peekay gains the strength he needs to win out. And in a final conflict with his childhood enemy, the Judge, Peekay will fight to the death for justice.
-
-
Compelling story lifted higher by the narration
- By Bob on 05-14-09
By: Bryce Courtenay
-
Go Ask Alice
- By: Anonymous
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Life at 15 isn't easy for a girl if she's shy and hates the way she looks. Each day is heaven or hell, depending on who talks to her, or who doesn't. So when she's finally accepted by a group, she doesn't refuse their party games, even if it means taking LSD. Soon she's taking little pills to wake up and others to go to sleep, and the days begin to blur. Based on a 15-year-old's diary, Go Ask Alice is the intimate account of one girl's fatal journey into the world of drug addiction.
-
-
WE WERE ALL LIED TO. THIS IS FICTION PEOPLE!!!
- By Sharron on 05-09-14
By: Anonymous
-
The 57 Bus
- A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
- By: Dashka Slater
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If it weren't for the 57 bus, Sasha and Richard never would have met. Both were high school students from Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in the country, but they inhabited different worlds. Sasha, a white teen, lived in the middle-class foothills and attended a small private school. Richard, a black teen, lived in the crime-plagued flatlands and attended a large public one. Each day, their paths overlapped for a mere eight minutes. But, one afternoon, on the bus ride home from school, a single reckless act left Sasha severely burned.
-
-
An Unusual True-Crime Event...Beautifully Written.
- By Mary Burnight on 02-21-18
By: Dashka Slater
-
Ender's Game
- Special 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Orson Scott Card
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, Gabrielle de Cuir
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why we think it’s a great listen: It’s easy to say that when it comes to sci-fi you either love it or you hate it. But with Ender’s Game, it seems to be you either love it or you love it.... The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Enter Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the result of decades of genetic experimentation.
-
-
6 titles in the series so far
- By Kapila Wimalaratne on 01-29-03
By: Orson Scott Card
-
The Lightning Thief
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1
- By: Rick Riordan
- Narrated by: Jesse Bernstein
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really be expected to stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him? Of course, no one believes Percy about the monster incident; he's not even sure he believes himself.
-
-
Loved the story - but.....
- By Julia on 02-28-10
By: Rick Riordan
-
A Wrinkle in Time
- By: Madeleine L'Engle
- Narrated by: Hope Davis, Ava DuVernay, Madeleine L'Engle, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meg Murry, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their mother are having a midnight snack on a dark and stormy night when an unearthly stranger appears at their door. He claims to have been blown off course and goes on to tell them that there is such a thing as a "tesseract", which, if you didn't know, is a wrinkle in time. Meg's father had been experimenting with time travel when he suddenly disappeared. Will Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin outwit the forces of evil as they search through space for their father?
-
-
Thank You for a New Narrator
- By Patricia on 02-01-12
Critic reviews
"The Chocolate War is masterfully structured and rich in theme; the action is well crafted, well timed, suspenseful; complex ideas develop and unfold with clarity." (The New York Times Book Review)
"The characterizations of all the boys are superb....This novel [is] unique in its uncompromising portrait of human cruelty and conformity." (School Library Journal)
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Chocolate Wars
- The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World's Greatest Chocolate Makers
- By: Deborah Cadbury
- Narrated by: Deborah Cadbury
- Length: 13 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a cast of characters that wouldnt be out of place in a Victorian novel, Chocolate Wars tells the story of the great chocolatier dynasties, through the prism of the Cadburys. Chocolate was consumed unrefined and unprocessed as a rather bitter, fatty drink for the wealthy elite until the late 19th century, when the Swiss discovered a way to blend it with milk and unleashed a product that would conquer every market in the world.
-
-
The World of Chocolate
- By Jean on 11-05-14
By: Deborah Cadbury
-
Pastoral
- By: Nevil Shute
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She was from the hills of Yorkshire, country born and bred. He was a city boy. By the stream where they fished they were two young people falling in love. Overhead, the bombers roared, threatening to blow their idyllic world, so young, so fresh, to smithereens.
-
-
Historical romance set in WWII England.
- By Stan on 06-19-12
By: Nevil Shute
-
Diplomatic Immunity
- By: Grant Sutherland
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the most exciting writer of international thrillers since Robert Ludlum comes a riveting tale of intrigue that takes you right into the heart of the United Nations. Shock ripples through the U.N. at the stunning news: a special envoy has been murdered in the basement...
-
-
Good Story
- By Tzvi David Szajnbrum on 01-13-20
By: Grant Sutherland
-
I Am the Cheese
- By: Robert Cormier
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the back of Adam Farmer's mind, he always knew there was something not quite right about his family. It was more than just the fact that his dad seemed to be stoically going through the motions or that his sad-eyed mother spent most of her time in her room. Somewhere in the recesses of Adam's memory, he recalled a frantic journey in the middle of the night, hurried like criminals onto a bus, staring out the windows at some dark, malevolent thing none of them could see.
-
-
A classic
- By David on 09-14-17
By: Robert Cormier
-
Mr. Majestyk
- By: Elmore Leonard
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vincent Majestyk saw too much death in the jungles of Southeast Asia. All he wants to do now is farm his melons and forget. But peace can be an elusive commodity, even in the Arizona hinterlands - and especially when the local mob is calling all the shots. And one quiet, proud man's refusal to be strong-armed by a powerful hood is about to start a violent chain reaction that will leave Mr. Majestyk ruined, in shackles, and without a friend in the world -- except for one tough and beautiful woman.
-
-
Elmore Leonard and Frank Muller: purrrrfection.
- By Richard Delman on 04-03-14
By: Elmore Leonard
-
Speak
- 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Laurie Halse Anderson
- Narrated by: Mandy Siegfried, Ashley C. Ford, Jason Reynolds, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From her first moment at Merryweather High, Melinda Sordino knows she's an outcast. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, a major infraction in high-school society, so her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't know glare at her. She retreats into her head, where the lies and hypocrisies of high school stand in stark relief to her own silence, making her all the more mute.
-
-
Recommend with Slight Reservations
- By FanB14 on 05-21-12
-
Chocolate Wars
- The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World's Greatest Chocolate Makers
- By: Deborah Cadbury
- Narrated by: Deborah Cadbury
- Length: 13 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a cast of characters that wouldnt be out of place in a Victorian novel, Chocolate Wars tells the story of the great chocolatier dynasties, through the prism of the Cadburys. Chocolate was consumed unrefined and unprocessed as a rather bitter, fatty drink for the wealthy elite until the late 19th century, when the Swiss discovered a way to blend it with milk and unleashed a product that would conquer every market in the world.
-
-
The World of Chocolate
- By Jean on 11-05-14
By: Deborah Cadbury
-
Pastoral
- By: Nevil Shute
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She was from the hills of Yorkshire, country born and bred. He was a city boy. By the stream where they fished they were two young people falling in love. Overhead, the bombers roared, threatening to blow their idyllic world, so young, so fresh, to smithereens.
-
-
Historical romance set in WWII England.
- By Stan on 06-19-12
By: Nevil Shute
-
Diplomatic Immunity
- By: Grant Sutherland
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the most exciting writer of international thrillers since Robert Ludlum comes a riveting tale of intrigue that takes you right into the heart of the United Nations. Shock ripples through the U.N. at the stunning news: a special envoy has been murdered in the basement...
-
-
Good Story
- By Tzvi David Szajnbrum on 01-13-20
By: Grant Sutherland
-
I Am the Cheese
- By: Robert Cormier
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the back of Adam Farmer's mind, he always knew there was something not quite right about his family. It was more than just the fact that his dad seemed to be stoically going through the motions or that his sad-eyed mother spent most of her time in her room. Somewhere in the recesses of Adam's memory, he recalled a frantic journey in the middle of the night, hurried like criminals onto a bus, staring out the windows at some dark, malevolent thing none of them could see.
-
-
A classic
- By David on 09-14-17
By: Robert Cormier
-
Mr. Majestyk
- By: Elmore Leonard
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vincent Majestyk saw too much death in the jungles of Southeast Asia. All he wants to do now is farm his melons and forget. But peace can be an elusive commodity, even in the Arizona hinterlands - and especially when the local mob is calling all the shots. And one quiet, proud man's refusal to be strong-armed by a powerful hood is about to start a violent chain reaction that will leave Mr. Majestyk ruined, in shackles, and without a friend in the world -- except for one tough and beautiful woman.
-
-
Elmore Leonard and Frank Muller: purrrrfection.
- By Richard Delman on 04-03-14
By: Elmore Leonard
-
Speak
- 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Laurie Halse Anderson
- Narrated by: Mandy Siegfried, Ashley C. Ford, Jason Reynolds, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From her first moment at Merryweather High, Melinda Sordino knows she's an outcast. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, a major infraction in high-school society, so her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't know glare at her. She retreats into her head, where the lies and hypocrisies of high school stand in stark relief to her own silence, making her all the more mute.
-
-
Recommend with Slight Reservations
- By FanB14 on 05-21-12
What listeners say about The Chocolate War
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Goobaby
- 05-19-15
I enjoyed this book
I enjoyed this book even though it was for my English class!
So I thank the author! Thank you!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Laura Tadicci
- 05-03-24
Still love it
This was my favorite book throughout my teen years. Now in my fifties, I tried it again. I’m scared to say I still love this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. Isen
- 11-14-18
Interesting take on high school and sociopathy
This was an interesting one. A boy attending a private school takes on the powers that be by refusing to sell chocolates for a school fundraiser. The story is told from multiple perspectives, and one of the boys is clearly a sociopath. It's actually almost scary to be in this kid's head. The performance was great and it was a good listen.
#tagsgiving #sweepstakes #provocative #americana #highschool #comingofage
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Charles
- 03-30-16
Well-written, but not redeeming.
A little redemption in the end would've been nice. Nice reminder good doesn't always triumph.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ceryck Krenke
- 09-16-20
An Important and Poignant Tale For Teenagers
A book that is not afraid to tel a theme in a dark and realistic way. It would be so simple and easy to make this a story about going against the grain and being an individual but it shows you the risk. The fact of how hard it is to be an insidiously when the entire world is forcing you to bend the knee. A tale that has effected my entire life. Yes it can be violent and crude but all with meaning. To ignore this book would be a grave mistake.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- DRoberts
- 08-19-08
Superb in every way
I have friends who swoon at the late Frank Muller's voice; I've usually found him to be overeager. But I can't imagine anyone else reading this one.
"Chocolate War" is an elegantly written book. I especially like the moments when a bit of exposition suddenly makes you hit rewind while saying, "What was that?" because a significant plot point has suddenly, unexpectedly been laid in your lap.
This tale of a Roman Catholic boy's school is a sort of American "Lord of the Flies." It's about courage, cruelty, control and the chaos that occurs when the people who are supposed to be in charge just don't care. By turns amusing and appalling, I found it absolutely riveting.
A highlight is the introduction by the author. The worst part was the replacement of the usual "This is Audible" with four-year-old voices chanting "Audible Kids."
This is NOT a "kid's book." This is extraordinarily well-crafted fiction written for, and about, young people. Many parents need to hear it to understand that the occasional anachronisms in the story do not mean these issues have been left in the past.
Thanks, Robert. Thanks, Frank. Outstanding job.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Graham
- 02-26-05
Been a long time since I saw this book...
This is a very good book. I read it when I was about 13 or so (I don't believe it is a young adults book...my father had me reading adult stuff at a pretty young age), there is also a movie. I have not listened to in on audible but the book is great. It really brings you into his world and you can feel the torment he goes through. I really enjoyed it. If you liked the movie "The Power of One", with Morgan Freeman, this has the same feel; a boy, alone, struggling and some boxing. All in all I would have to say that I loved the book...I might just order it on audible some day.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- James S.
- 11-03-17
true view of the world
dark and entertaining look into manipulation, true view of the world. upsetting, descriptive, enthralling. not just relatable to young adults and a current adaptation would go over well
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Word Nerd
- 02-22-11
Fell flat of my expectations
This book had so much potential. I liked the idea of a kid who went against the grain, despite all the peer pressure. Robert Cormier's writing was beautiful and poetic. But the story never left the ground. The opening scene shows you the school bullies plotting some scheme that has danger written all over it. Then you meet Jerry and think, "Oh, there he is. He's going to do something great." There's all this anticipation and then nothing happens. Nothing. They don't even announce the chocolate sales until halfway through the book. I could see right away Cormier's flaw in developing the story. In the intro, Cormier explains that the idea for Chocolate War came when his own son refused to sell chocolates. Unfortunately, that made the author too attached to his characters. So much so, that he refused to let them suffer. The bullies, instead of being violent and dangerous, had a "no violence" policy. Huh? If they don't beat anyone up, where's the threat? Jerry was represented as a great hero. But he didn't do anything except say "no" when his name was called. No one pressured him. No one threatened him. He just said no. There was a little violence toward the end, but by that time, it seemed forced and out of place. It was also too brief. I was pretty disappointed, because, as I said, Cormier had a great talent with words. He could have made this story monumental if he'd have just released the apron strings.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Peter & Grace
- 10-17-22
Great Read
I was a bit nervous about this one, as I knew the ending wouldn't be a happy one, but it sheds some light on mob mentality, how "free" choices really are, and just flat-out politicking everywhere you go. The characters are all well-rounded and there is some shock value here and there. Greatly written and greatly read!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!