Ella Minnow Pea

Books | Fiction / Coming of Age

4.1

(886)

Mark Dunn

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 everywhereElla 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 phrase containing all the letters of the alphabet, “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 "a love letter to alphabetarians and logomaniacs everywhere" (Myla Goldberg, bestselling author of Bee Season).

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More Details:

Author

Mark Dunn

Pages

224

Publisher

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Published Date

2014-12-30

ISBN

1101911778 9781101911778

Community ReviewsSee all

"i so wanted this to be a five-star, and it could have been!! the way it played with language was so fun, and i loved its commentary on censorship and government (and religion??) the book is definitely more plot-based, but this left the characters unfortunately underdeveloped. i didn't really know them, feel all that attached to them. still 4 stars - a good rating! - but i can't help but feel disappointed."

catherine!!

"Such a unique read! I loved the clever use of the alphabet and the simple but striking ending. Well done! "

McKenzie Bahr

"this is a super interesting and creative read as you get to see the author write with less and less letters at his disposal. plus it’s short so it’s a nice quick read!"

G P

Grace Paradis

"What a brilliant book! The use of words and social commentary charmed me. I finished in three days. "

Katrina

"Finished 3/08 made me actually laugh out loud in places. Witty and clever, a great piece of satire/semi dystopian literature. A book I want to buy "

Mary Long

"Good luck finding this book I’m pretty sure I had to download a pdf of it but it’s simply FUN and honestly a nice departure from the other action/thrillers on this list"

Lydia Perkins

"This book, got me hooked from the very premise! I love the premise of a totalitarian government taking away letters of the English alphabet, purely due to mass hysteria, and the effect that it has on the people of the small island of Nollop."

Dana L

"Amazing wordplay with hypnotic political prose. It starts off deceptively slow but Mark Dunn seamlessly weaves a dystopian but smartly written story that reflects many political and personal truths in this modern era. I started Ella Minnow Pea while preparing dinner and finished when I was supposed to be heading to bed. It's a relatively short read, but it kept me cemented to my couch and turning the pages, and left me in a satisfied haze. I definitely recommend this if you want a quick, witty and provocative one-off read."

B L

Betty L

"This is probably my top book ever. The premise of the book is so intriguing, and it keeps you engaged all the while. It's a short read, but powerful. Dealing with topics of free speech and slippery slopes, it leaves you with a lot to think about long after it's done. The writing is unique and impressive, and despite the very unusual epistolary way of narrating events, the characters and plot are developed well and the end is satisfying."