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    The City of Ember
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    The City of Ember
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    The City of Ember
    Audiobook6 hours

    The City of Ember

    Written by Jeanne DuPrau

    Narrated by Wendy Dillon

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she's sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever! This stunning debut novel offers refreshingly clear writing and fascinating, original characters.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 25, 2004
    ISBN9780807220771
    Unavailable
    The City of Ember

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    Reviews for The City of Ember

    4/5

    2,770 ratings208 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This is a story about a dystopian city, Ember, that is slowly running out of supplies and power. The builders of the city had left behind instructions for how to get out of Ember when the city started failing but that was over two hundred years ago and those instructions have been long forgotten. That is until Lina finds these instructions and begins piecing together the instructions for getting out of the city. She soon enlists the help of her friend Doon and together they set out on a mission to discover the way out of Ember and save everyone in the city.
    • 5/5
      Lina lives in the city of Ember, which is surrounded by absolute darkness and itself experiences the difference between day and night only because of the lightbulbs lighting the entire town. The people of Ember believe that they live in a city of endless bounty, but the supplies are running out, the mayor is corrupt, and the lights flicker more and more frequently. Lina, along with her friend Doon, believe that there is something more beyond the city and together - along with a mysterious set of instructions that have been long lost - set out to discover what they can discover.I liked this one tons. I particularly loved the world (or rather, city)-building, and how DuPrau slowly and cleverly unfolds the mystery of what the city is and how it came to be.
    • 4/5
      Real page-turner
    • 4/5
      Lina and Doon live in the City of Ember, where there is no light except from electric bulbs - ever. The sky is dark all the time. When the power goes off, there is absolute darkness.Doon is observant, and realizes that the city is in trouble. It is running out of things. Everything.Linda discovers a document - in the mouth of her little sister. It is no longer fully legible, but she and Doon feel certain it is important, and that it may be instructions for finding another place to live before Ember runs out of everything.Lina and Doon are intrepid and interesting characters, and likable. A fun sort-of science fiction tale.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this one, but I kept comparing it to the Giver. This is sort of the Giver Lite, meant for younger audiences and not as sinister. I'll probably read the other books in the series, but I won't rush to get them.
    • 5/5
      The city of Ember is an original story, and I enjoy Jeanne Duprau writing style. Lina and Doon are two kids who can conquer the world, or so they think. What a cliffhanger of an ending. I hope the second book is as good as the first.
    • 4/5
      After reading a bunch of other dystopian books, it was interesting to go back to one of the earlier ones for this age range and see the beginnings of the genre at work.
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars. A very compelling and exciting story that leaves you wondering what will happen next. I'm very intrigued to read the next one.
    • 4/5
      This wasn't a I Can't Put This Book Down type of book, but it was really good none-the-less.

      It provides a fascinating look into the future of the human race if we allow destruction and greed and wars to continue, while showing that even if you try to hide from them, those traits will still surface in all situations.

      What I really liked about this book was that they didn't treat the 12 year-olds (like the protagonists) like they were incapable. If anything, they treated them as adults and responsible people that contribute to society. It also showed strong morals (anti stealing, cheating and lying - and not just because it's bad, but with good reasoning).

      I'll read the sequels eventually, just not quite right away.
    • 2/5
      THE CITY OF EMBER is a fairy tale, a story stripped down to its essentials and laden with morals and lessons. Everything is a bit simplified - and, as a result, the book has the otherworldly, timeless feel of a Cinderella or a Goldilocks.

      I'm one of those adults who has discovered that a lot of the best new books are found on children's and YA shelves. A lot of these books are well-written enough, complex enough, to appeal equally to adults and children. THE CITY OF EMBER is not one of these books - it's good, but will probably only satisfy its designated audience.
    • 4/5
      This book was actually better than I thought it would be. The plot was very intriguing - this whole city is set up like a post-apocalyptic fallout shelter, and I could imagine how horrible it would be to live underground. Happy to hear that it is a series, although I enjoy the ending, which could stand on its own. Will be reading the rest of the series, def.
    • 2/5
      This is a pretty decent post-apocalyptic book for young adults. I wish I had books like this at my disposal as a kid.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this young adult book a lot. One thing I really appreciated is that the kids really acted like kids, not mini-adults. I like the concept of a city that's running on empty, with everything possible re-used until it can't be used any more.
    • 3/5
      This book was interesting. I thought it started out a little slow, while the author was trying to lay out a whole new world. It was worth sticking through the slow spots. Lina and Doon and the people of Ember really began to grow on me and the ending of the book was perfect. I am hooked and want to read the second book.
    • 5/5
      Ember is a city without natural light. Electricity comes from a generator powered by the river, but lately power outages that plunge the city into total darkness have become more and more common. Lina and Doon, who are twelve years old, have just completed school and begun their work assignments - Lina as a messenger and Doon in the Pipeworks. Between the two of them, they piece together information that suggests that Ember's supplies may be running low and that the city may be in trouble. As the urgency increases, so does the pace of this book, which ends with a cliffhanger that made me want to dive right into Book 2 in the series.
    • 2/5
      This book was OK. It was a short book, but it took the author a long time to get at the point. The author spent a lot of time on mundane things and finally after repetition, the reader began to understand. Written from the point of two precocious juveniles, it seemed sometimes that a 7th grader might be the expected audience. I don't think that I'll be reading much from this author, again. There is so much more to experience.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed reading this book. It was one that I couldn't wait to read again when I had to put it down. After I finished reading the book I couldn't help but think about what it would be like to live in a city like Ember. Where they are underground and the only light source is light bulbs. None of the citizens knew or believed that there was another world. They thought Ember was it. They had been down there for so long that not one of the people living there knew that they were missing blue sky, stars, the sun and the moon. All they knew was the black sky and the light bulbs that lit there city. The two main characters were 12 year old Doon and Lina. They were given jobs on assignment day, which was there last day of school. Doon worked in the Pipeworks and Lina was a messenger. Throughout their journey they felt that there was something wrong with their city. They knew that things were not going well and were going to continue to get worse. Their city was running out of light bulbs and food for all of their citizens. They found instructions on how to leave Ember or "Egress" the city of Ember. They have to solve the puzzle and figure out how to get out. There is a great ending and I cannot wait to read the next in the series. Highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      Review by: Jackay This book grasped my mind and brought it to a different universe. A universe with dying energy. That could be Black at any Moment. I literally could not put the book down! It was so very interesting that I would read it again and again! I HIGHLY recommend you read this book ASAP! Review by: yakgirl After reading this book I found myself daydreaming about living in Ember. Although there were some parts I thought confusing, the author pulls it together well. The story is about two friends as they struggle to save thier city from eternal darkness, deal with family difficulties and never give up even when no one in Ember believed in them. It's highly creative and fun and I promise you won't regret reading it!!!! Review by: anna The city of ember, a novel somewhere in between fiction and fanatasy, is set in a world relying on artifical light. it has some interesting themes, like the necessity to reuse everything in a world so self contained, and i loved the playground visuals- the red messenger jacket, etc. but it was like being tied to a train: the book moves too slowly in plot. the set up of how the city can be saved and the characters paths to find it is flat and so methodical. i wanted more description of this world. Review by: bob i was deeply moved by this book. i was amazed at how a girl and her friend and sister are able to find a new place to live. this is an all ages book and i would recommend it to anyone. Review by: gaaaaaaa this book was very predictable but it was also a page turner and interesting to read. Review by: lock great book that talks about a boy and a girl who live in a city where everthing else is darkness. this is an incredible start to a four book series. it has an amazing story line but thing do move a bit slow but all it does is build up the suspense in an incredible book. if you haven't read it yet read it. if you have read it read the next book The People Of Sparks. Review by: Natalia I thought this book was a real page turner. it was easy to start reading and explains everything quite well. I enjoyed the ending, because it was detailed and wrapped it up well. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries.
    • 4/5
      Two hours in the bathtub and I completed [The City of Ember] - My former fifth graders hated it because of the pacing. I kind of agree, but still enjoyed it. It took far too long to get anywhere interesting and then all the exciting stuff just kind of.../happened/ and then fizzled out: very little excitement. I suppose I enjoyed it because I like analyzing society. This book is like the Communist Manifesto if Marx and Engels had experienced the day-to-day reality of Soviet Russia.
    • 4/5
      It was an enjoyable book to read, but didn't really stand out from others in the genre.
    • 4/5
      The author uses a great way to express her feelings toward war, and the usage of the environment. The world has become totally destroyed due to a nuclear war. All the resources are gone and most of the species are dead. People need to be more careful of we could end up underground. The author creates a great argument and threads it into a great book.
    • 4/5
      City of Ember is a post-apocalyptic/adventure novel written by Jeanne DuPrau. It won the Child Magazine's Best Children's Book Award, the Mark Twain Readers Award, and was nominated for a YRCA (Intermediate division) in 2006. City of Ember is the first book in DuPrau's Books of Ember series.The book takes place in a mysterious, underground city called Ember, which was created as a sort of refuge following some unknown disaster has rendered the surface of the earth uninhabitable. However, as many years pass, the city is slowly falling apart, as electricity and supplies are starting to run out. The protagonists of the story are a young girl named Lina Mayfleet and her friend, a boy named Doon Harrow. One day they uncover a secret a message left behind by builders of original builders of the city, which might lead them to the outside world. The majority of the novel follows the adventures of Lina and Doon as they chase clues to discover the mysterious origins of Ember. Overall, The City of Ember is a very well written young adult adventure novel. The author manages to strike an excellent balance between action and character/plot development, which makes the book an extremely rewarding and enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      No surprises in this mystery, a pleasant vacation read. I decided that my inability to follow the meager plot convolutions had more to do with Story, the protagonist, being pretty scattered herself. I liked Reed’s promotion of bees, local produce and wild foods. And as a Wisconsin native, I had to admire Reed’s marketing of our state’s attractions, which are not inconsiderable tho not monumental. However, she forgot to include the other 5-10 bars in her listing of businesses in her typical small town setting.I was irritated by Holly’s habitual use of acronyms—which was the point, Reed wanted us to know that Story thinks this is irritating, but it’s still lousy to read.
    • 3/5
      Very entertaining. I couldn't quite get over how Giver-esque it seemed, but still enjoyed it and will be reading "The People of Sparks".
    • 5/5
      A surprisingly original and well-written children's novel; I've never quite encountered one like this before. While resolutely a "fairy story," it's in no way magical or fantastical beyond its basic storytelling style - if anything, this is post-apocalyptic science fiction for ten year olds, and I applaud DuPrau for casting in an atmosphere of a community afraid: there is some death here, impoverished living, supplies running out, and most of all, a sort of nameless fear that courses through many of the characters. It's all told through the eyes of two twelve-year-old children, and it feels "real" without being overly harsh for a young reader. The secondary characters, as with many fairy stories, are basically archetypes, but that's okay - slightly more off-putting is the fact that very nearly every position of power or respect in the city (and certainly every *positive* one) is held by a woman. I'm of that final generation that thinks of doctors, lawyers and mayors being automatically male, and while DuPrau is doubtless trying to sow some worthy seeds in the minds of her readers, it is a *little* odd to find a town essentially run by women, without any explanation. That's my only complaint, though. The back cover rather charmingly spoils a "cliffhanger" ending, but that's not true; it ends on a "What next...?" moment, and if that had been all, it would have been a perfectly acceptable open-ended novel. As it is, though, I'm looking forward to the sequel.
    • 4/5
      I watched the movie before I read the book. This is one of those rare circumstances where both were equally entertaining. The writing is well done and the characters are well developed. The post-apocalyptic storyline is well handled and the description of the city itself is very good. This is a great beginning to the series. It will hook you.
    • 3/5
      In this fantasy book, two main characters search for a way to save their city/world. They uncover corruption and deceit as they solve a possible that leads to a better future for everyone.
    • 5/5
      The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau is a story that is very endearing, imaginative and engaging. Within a page or two I was hooked. It is an easy, swift read that is perfect for those nights when life has been a bit too hard. Ember is an underground city that is running out of resources. Lina and Doon, two children of the city, have reached the age of twelve, at which time all children of the City of Ember are assigned work. Lina and Doon become the city's saviors through their detective work, and are able to escape the failing City of Ember. Recommended reading for a refreshing change.
    • 3/5
      Very interesting. I kept expecting it to take a turn to children's book formula, and it never did. The prose isn't very good, and the pacing could be better, but once I got into the story I didn't mind.
    • 5/5
      The City of Ember seems to be the only light in a world of unending darkness, and now the lights are starting to flicker. Lina Mayfleet finds a puzzling document and Doon Harrow has made discoveries down in the Pipeworks. With these clues, the two attempt to save the city. The cliffhanger ending leaves readers wanting the next in the series.