Fiction

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-11 04:13:10
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Mark Dunn
  • ISBN：0385722435
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Ella Minnow Pea is a girl living happily on the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of South Carolina。 Nollop was named after Nevin Nollop， author of the immortal pangram，* "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog。" Now Ella finds herself acting to save her friends， family， and fellow citizens from the encroaching totalitarianism of the island's Council， which has banned the use of certain letters of the alphabet as they fall from a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop。 As the letters progressively drop from the statue they also disappear from the novel。 The result is both a hilarious and moving story of one girl's fight for freedom of expression， as well as a linguistic tour de force sure to delight word lovers everywhere。

*pangram: a sentence or phrase that includes all the letters of the alphabet

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Reviews

Sara Burleson ，

An interesting story but the writers use very flowery language that isn't exactly my style。 I liked it but don't plan on reading again。 An interesting story but the writers use very flowery language that isn't exactly my style。 I liked it but don't plan on reading again。 。。。more

jona ，

Oh I definitely like some letters more than others but I think they are all important。 Fun little linguistic experiment。 Loved it and enjoyed it。

Morgan Kail-Ackerman ，

What a book。 A clever twist that kept me reading and interested。 It’s obvious the author is a thespian because the words drip with drama。 I’d love to see this book adapted into a play。 Ella Minnow Pea is a fun exploration of language， censorship， government control， and belief systems。 I love the concept and how the language develops throughout the novel。 I must teach this book one day！

Victoria ，

What a weird little book。

Valeria ，

Enjoyable quick read but an ultimately unsatisfying end。 Yes， their problems are resolved but it leaves you wanting more story。 It felt like the author did not care about his reader's connections to the characters so he left their lives open-ended （in the worst way）。 Enjoyable quick read but an ultimately unsatisfying end。 Yes， their problems are resolved but it leaves you wanting more story。 It felt like the author did not care about his reader's connections to the characters so he left their lives open-ended （in the worst way）。 。。。more

Elisabeth ，

Such a clever book， full of lovely words， inspiring female protagonists that will have you rooting for the people of Nollop Island。 There are moments here that hit on very parallel lines with the political climate in the U。S。 today。 Anyone who loves words and language and clever ways of storytelling will like this book。 Brilliant。 Would highly recommend it。

Lisa ，

Pretty creative characters， theme， writing style and plot。

Jayla ，

This was a super interesting book。 I found it harder to connect with the characters since it was written with letters that the different characters would send each other （although I understand why this method was used）。 Near the end I found it harder to read since there were so few letters able to be used it looked like a child had written it。 This novel really made me look at the different lettered being used and think about how I use such a wide variety of letters everyday。

Jillian ，

With a background in communications studies and English， this spoke to me on several nerd levels。 It has been a long time since I've read something that challenged my vocabulary in the way that Ella Minnow Pea did。 While the overarching story is about a small island nation who starts to lose the use of certain letters， there are so many other levels within these pages that build a wonderfully complex story that keeps the reader engaged to the very end。 I can't recommend this book highly enough。 With a background in communications studies and English， this spoke to me on several nerd levels。 It has been a long time since I've read something that challenged my vocabulary in the way that Ella Minnow Pea did。 While the overarching story is about a small island nation who starts to lose the use of certain letters， there are so many other levels within these pages that build a wonderfully complex story that keeps the reader engaged to the very end。 I can't recommend this book highly enough。 。。。more

Kellie ，

This book was an utter delight。 It was so clever and a word nerd's dream。 This book was an utter delight。 It was so clever and a word nerd's dream。 。。。more

Anne ，

A quick and really interesting book！ Even though the last chapters are quit difficulty to read （especially if English isn't your mother tongue）， I was really proud for every word I was able to decrypted。 I got this book as present and was immediately intrigued by its premise。 Even so I couldn't imagining a book that loses its word。- I learnt all is possilpe。 Ewe will see :-） A quick and really interesting book！ Even though the last chapters are quit difficulty to read （especially if English isn't your mother tongue）， I was really proud for every word I was able to decrypted。 I got this book as present and was immediately intrigued by its premise。 Even so I couldn't imagining a book that loses its word。- I learnt all is possilpe。 Ewe will see :-） 。。。more

José Poves ，

Brilliant。 Riveting。 A must-read for lovers of language， drama， and freedom。

Nick ，

original and intriguing premise with a fantastically beautiful execution。

Courtney Llewellyn ，

Language nerd that I am， I absolutely adored the premise of this book， the way it was written （and the little twist at the end！）。

Diane ，

They used a lot of words I'm not familiar with， but I still enjoyed it。 They used a lot of words I'm not familiar with， but I still enjoyed it。 。。。more

Susie ，

An absolute joy to read。 The writing style was just exemplary and I enjoyed every sentence。 I’ve never read anything quite like it before。

Aimee ，

The style of writing in this book is beautiful。 Who knew the slow removal of certain letters could be done so cleverly？？ Additionally， it makes you think how many words you can still use without certain letters！Praise to Mark Dunn！！

Cassi Emerson ，

I picked up this book based on a recommendation I saw on a Facebook group。 It was a very quick ready and engaging。 I thought the idea was very clever and brilliantly done。 At times it seemed like Ella was not the main character though and it felt almost strange in the end when she stepped up。 Still， a book I would highly recommend to others。

Olivia Mannall ，

This book is singlehandedly one of the most clever novels I have EVER read！ I can't even begin to imagine how much time it must have taken Mark Dunn to craft this， to make it work as well as it does， and for me， it provided me with one of the most satisfying reading experiences I have ever had。I've always been a fan of epistolary novels and of course this was the perfect way to tell a story such as this。 In a world where you are robbed of language， this is more accurately shown through a letter This book is singlehandedly one of the most clever novels I have EVER read！ I can't even begin to imagine how much time it must have taken Mark Dunn to craft this， to make it work as well as it does， and for me， it provided me with one of the most satisfying reading experiences I have ever had。I've always been a fan of epistolary novels and of course this was the perfect way to tell a story such as this。 In a world where you are robbed of language， this is more accurately shown through a letter than through actual dialogue between characters， especially as I imagine the Nollopians to keep their verbal communication to a minimum as it is much harder to avoid slip-ups when talking than when writing。 That being said， an epistolary novel will always have its limitations and there were moments where I was itching for a little more detail， or moments where the letters felt stilted， things you would not necessarily pen in a letter but rather just talk about in person， and yet Dunn had to convey them this way due to the limitations of the form。I cannot fault the plot of this novel: it is cleverly executed and so original in its premise and was unlike anything else I had ever read， delivering themes of totalitarianism and censorship in such a way that I had never seen before！ It was fast paced and kept me on my toes and the ending was one of the most satisfying things I have ever read - I couldn't believe how smartly it was done！ I wanted to applaud Dunn for his crafty handiwork in those final few pages， delivering a twist that I never， ever would have seen coming！I am only sad that I felt like we got very little insight into the characters， even the main character of Ella。 It felt at times like she only served as a vessel to communicate the struggles of the people of Nollop and their dilemmas， and I knew very little about her as a person: what were her likes？ Her dislikes？ I don't feel like it would have been too hard to slip these into the early narrative。Also， at the beginning I did feel like the language was very elaborate and wordy， the letters reading as if they could have been from the 18th Century and not the 21st。 I liked the ambiguity of the island of Nollop， how it felt simultaneously modern but old-fashioned and how it kind of didn't sit comfortably into any one set time period。 Having read to the end now， I can only imagine this very decadent writing style was intentional， to show just how debilitating the loss of language can be， and how Ella goes from being a very articulate young woman with an arsenal of words at her disposal， to a girl who speaks in an almost Caveman-like fashion， because she is so limited as to the words she can and can't use。 All in all， this was a very good read！ I urge any reader to read it， as its so masterful in driving home the message of just how powerful language is， and how we never truly appreciate it until its taken away。。。 。。。more

Katinka ，

Clever and whimsical。 I found it a bit difficult to get into the story because the book is comprised of correspondence， but in the end that's what makes the book work。 Challenging to read at times， but worth it。 Clever and whimsical。 I found it a bit difficult to get into the story because the book is comprised of correspondence， but in the end that's what makes the book work。 Challenging to read at times， but worth it。 。。。more

Cindy Morse ，

I absolutely loved this book！ Such a clever premise！ And trying to read sentences without the ‘forbidden’ letters toward the end was mentally challenging and fun！ What a great break from my normal whodunnits！

Sandra ，

Loved this。 Cleverly written and somehow you really get to know the characters just through written letters - who knew！？ I could empathise with the characters on their struggles of writing without the use of so many letters。 After reading， I had a newfound appreciation for literature！

hannah ，

I want to marry this book。 I am so in love with it

Shelby ，

I was disappointed in this book， though that may be more the fault of my expectations。 I was promised a "zany book that will quickly make you laugh;" I barely grinned， and even that was just a couple of times。 The other quote on the cover was much more to the point。 This is a "commentary on censorship and totalitarianism。" The linguistic challenge of the book is interesting （slowly reducing the available letters to write the epistolary novel） but it was not very entertaining。 The story itself wa I was disappointed in this book， though that may be more the fault of my expectations。 I was promised a "zany book that will quickly make you laugh;" I barely grinned， and even that was just a couple of times。 The other quote on the cover was much more to the point。 This is a "commentary on censorship and totalitarianism。" The linguistic challenge of the book is interesting （slowly reducing the available letters to write the epistolary novel） but it was not very entertaining。 The story itself was okay， I mean I did finish reading the book， but it was nothing spectacular。 I thought I was the audience for this book， but I am not。 I love linguistics and all the nitty gritty therein， but I'm not much of a word puzzle enthusiast。 This book might be more engaging for people who love crossword puzzles or palindromes。 Even so， I would warn that this book is much heavier on the political commentary than it is on the comedy。 So， just know what you're getting yourself into。 。。。more

Ezra Wells ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ella Minnow Pea takes place on the （fictional） independent island of Nollop， where the Island's namesake is rendered immortal with a statue and underneath it the sentence "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog。" A pangram of his own creation。 As the lettered tiles begin to fall away from the statue， the island's high council begin to outlaw the use of the fallen letters; taking it as a sign that The Almighty Nollop no longer wants them to use them。 I went into this book expecting just a Ella Minnow Pea takes place on the （fictional） independent island of Nollop， where the Island's namesake is rendered immortal with a statue and underneath it the sentence "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog。" A pangram of his own creation。 As the lettered tiles begin to fall away from the statue， the island's high council begin to outlaw the use of the fallen letters; taking it as a sign that The Almighty Nollop no longer wants them to use them。 I went into this book expecting just a daft yet entertaining wee read。 What I got instead was a novel that seemed to be almost flippantly dystopian to start with and gets progressively more so as the novel goes on。 The Island's High Council begins by setting out a sort of three strike system for offences， the final strike resulting in banishment。 As the novel goes on it gets progressively darker。 An interesting commentary on religion and despotism。 There are two scenes which stand out to me as examples of where the book catches you unawares。 In the first instance a whole family simultaneously reach their second strike which gives them the choice of a day in the stocks in the main square or a public flogging。 The family chooses the public flogging in the hopes to stir outrage from their fellow citizens as two of the members of the family due to receive the whip are children。 The second instance is nearer the end of the book。 One of the people our main character becomes close to is shot dead by police as he tries to escape their custody。 There is no provocation for the shooting， the man is bound and unarmed。There are many other instances where dystopian themes come into play， at one point the Council begin to appropriate the grander houses of banished island inhabitants， then they go on to take from those still living there。 One such character has his plot of land taken away from him。 The council go so far as to exhalt Nollop as God and denounce the Christian god in favour of Nollop。 All this and so much more from such a short book。 It is most definitely a must read， it will stay with you long after you have read it。 It will most certainly get a re-read from me in years to come。 Fully deserving of the 5 stars I have given it。 。。。more

Matheus Mion ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I definitely love it， the pay-off delayed to the utmost last moment and the tension building not from big mistakes， but big changes。 The contrast in belief， in the end， the way that the solution was found and not made。 The way we learn how to read without some letters， the feeling of constraint it gives not only by seeing the characters so frustrated with losing letters， but by not seeing them ourselves anymore。 The change in weekdays' names so that we even lose track of it but with cleverness e I definitely love it， the pay-off delayed to the utmost last moment and the tension building not from big mistakes， but big changes。 The contrast in belief， in the end， the way that the solution was found and not made。 The way we learn how to read without some letters， the feeling of constraint it gives not only by seeing the characters so frustrated with losing letters， but by not seeing them ourselves anymore。 The change in weekdays' names so that we even lose track of it but with cleverness enough that we find it funny to the end。 Oh man， what a read！ 。。。more

Laura ，

This was such a good book。 I really liked how it all came together。 It is a bit hard to read toward the end。 I don't want to give away any spoilers but you can imagine what chaos ensues when they start striking letters from the alphabet。 It is a fun yet at times serious read。 I love the use of language， the words that are not so common and so pretty at the same time。 This was such a good book。 I really liked how it all came together。 It is a bit hard to read toward the end。 I don't want to give away any spoilers but you can imagine what chaos ensues when they start striking letters from the alphabet。 It is a fun yet at times serious read。 I love the use of language， the words that are not so common and so pretty at the same time。 。。。more

Sam Hacker ，

An excellent book filled with tons of new words， Dunn is able to weave a realistic story together all centered around losing letters of the alphabet。 Since the story is told entirely through the written word， you don't get a ton of descriptions for the setting or characters， but the letters themselves more than make up for it。 I couldn't tell you what Ella or Tassie look like， but I can tell you their feelings and the actions they would take。 It was fun seeing how the characters worked around th An excellent book filled with tons of new words， Dunn is able to weave a realistic story together all centered around losing letters of the alphabet。 Since the story is told entirely through the written word， you don't get a ton of descriptions for the setting or characters， but the letters themselves more than make up for it。 I couldn't tell you what Ella or Tassie look like， but I can tell you their feelings and the actions they would take。 It was fun seeing how the characters worked around the loss of letters， and it actually took me a bit at times to realize that there really had been several pages without the letter 'd' or 'q。' The finale also worked out really well， even though there were only 5 letters （l，m，n，o，p）， I could still understand perfectly what Ella was communicating。 And while at first there didn't seem to be a way for the characters to overcome the loss of letters， it was really clever actually seeing how they tried to make their own phrase that contained all the letters of the alphabet。 When the finale happened， I had to chuckle because it was so clever。 All in all， a fun book。 。。。more

Flesha ，

If playing with language is your playground， read this book。

Kyle Dominguez ，

The gimmick was fun and it was cool how half the book lacked the letter D。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0