Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters

by Mark Dunn Narrated by Lauren Ezzo, Renata Friedman, Michael Crouch, Sara Morsey

Overview

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

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 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).

Editorial Reviews

FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile

This unusual audiobook walks a distinct and difficult line: Its message is an important and thought-provoking one, but its delivery often borders on being childish. The novel is a commentary on language, a kind of fable on freedom of speech. The narrators depict citizens who are affected by a community's descent into totalitarianism as its language is increasingly limited. The full cast is deeply invested in the performance—gasps, rasps, cries, and sighs abound—and some listeners may appreciate that kind of theatrical touch, especially when individual letters of the alphabet slowly and literally drop from the narrative. The concept is creative, and the narration is crisp, but sometimes the pace makes the message seem belabored and the performance excessive. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Library Journal

Set on the fictional island of Nollop. In this Orwellian-like society, the Island Council pays homage to Nelvin Nollop, the author of the famous sentence that uses all the letters of the alphabet-"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." When letters start to fall off the bust of Nelvin Nollop, the council takes it as a sign to ban those letters from speech and writing. As more letters disappear, they, too, are eliminated from daily life, as well as from the epistles that propel this novel's narrative. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

From the Publisher

There’s the whiff of a classic about Ella Minnow Pea.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“A love letter to alphabetarians and logomaniacs everywhere.” —Myla Goldberg

“A curiously compelling . . . satire of human foibles, and a light-stepping commentary on censorship and totalitarianism.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“This exceptional, zany book will quickly make you laugh.” —Dallas Morning Herald

FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile

This unusual audiobook walks a distinct and difficult line: Its message is an important and thought-provoking one, but its delivery often borders on being childish. The novel is a commentary on language, a kind of fable on freedom of speech. The narrators depict citizens who are affected by a community's descent into totalitarianism as its language is increasingly limited. The full cast is deeply invested in the performance—gasps, rasps, cries, and sighs abound—and some listeners may appreciate that kind of theatrical touch, especially when individual letters of the alphabet slowly and literally drop from the narrative. The concept is creative, and the narration is crisp, but sometimes the pace makes the message seem belabored and the performance excessive. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173368836
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,057,924

Read an Excerpt

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.

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