LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by Susan Beth Pfeffer Audiobook Review
Series: The Last Survivors, #1
Publication Date: October 1st 2006 by HMH Books for Young Readers
Rating: 
– Exceeds Expectations
Book Summary: Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.
Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all–hope–in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer Review Overview:
- Seemingly ordinary things become precious in the post-apocalyptic world
- Likeable protagonist because Miranda isn’t perfect
- One of my favorite audiobooks and apocalyptic novels
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer mimics my childhood imaginations of what the apocalypse would have been like. When a meteor hits the moon and knocks it closer to the earth, it creates a sequence of global catastrophes: deadly tsunamis, erupting volcanoes, and drastic climate change. It’s realistic; it’s not action-packed. The fate of the whole world doesn’t lie on the heroine’s hands. Most of the time the characters are in the dark of what is going on in their town, the country, and the rest of the world. Life As We Knew It is a realistic survival story about Miranda and her family.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the audiobook of Life As We Knew It because it isn’t a fast-paced novel. It’s not the kind of novel that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. It’s a chronicle of the changes in everyday life post-apocalypse. Through Miranda’s diary, seemingly ordinary things become precious in the post-apocalyptic world. Readers are reminded of what basic necessities we need in life and what we shouldn’t take for granted.
Miranda is a likeable protagonist because she isn’t perfect. The apocalypse suddenly didn’t make her a better person. At times, she can still be extremely greedy, jealous, and even a little childish. But she also grows a lot as a character in Life As We Knew It. Miranda is also a normal teenage girl, and the apocalypse didn’t take away all her innocence. Even if the book can sometimes get bleak, it was nice to hear about extremely teenager things like crushes and fangirling.
While the ending of Life As We Knew It doesn’t resolve everything, the ending was satisfying. I’m still not sure if I want to continue on with the series even if I enjoyed the first book so much. I like how the ending left off. It left enough to my imagination to wonder what life would be like for Miranda after I turned the last page.
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer is definitely one of my favorite audiobooks and also one of my favorite apocalyptic novels.
