This book is very well written. Enjoyable, keeps your attention and definitely makes you think. She draws so many parallels to our political climate these days. Had a lot of good discussions with this one. Still comes to mind quite often and it's been a few months!

The first 50 pages moved a bit slowly, but after that, I couldn’t put it down! Thoughtful and insightful—a great read 🙂. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

The Measure is one of the most thought provoking books I have read to date. Every person in the world, 22 years old and up, receives a box with a string. The string determines the length of your life. Short strings equate to shorter lifespans, longer strings to longer lives and then there is every measurement in between. This book tells two stories, one of discrimination and another of the value and impact of time. The very first thing that happens is the strings are weaponized by the government and corporations, denying short stringers their jobs, rights and health care, deeming them violent. Not so different than how minority groups are treated today. The Author does a remarkable job citing injustices while simultaneously capturing the goodness and resiliency of people. The characters in this book are unforgettable. They understand that the value of life is not in the time they are given, but what the person carries in their heart and how they choose to share it with the world. I loved this book so very much. It's smart, relevant and meaningful. A read that will stay with me a long time ❤️

I thought the first half of the book was utterly brilliant! Erlick conjures a terrific -and completely immersive-narrative. I love that Erlick didn’t get sucked down the rabbit hole of ‘how’. She’s skillful enough to continue to whet our interest, without allowing us to dig and destroy a beautiful mystery. It was shaping up to be a 5 star read. But then… The second half of the book seemed to lose its way. It included a great deal of what I would call ‘filler’. It’s as if the book was this terrific novella or short story, but then padded it up for publication as a novel. About 150 pages less would have been perfection. The romances, which in the first half are sweetly believable, quickly become contrived. The characters lose their substance, suddenly behaving woodenly, with none of the depth to which we were initially privy. Erlick seems to becomes confused and can’t figure out where to take us, so we are dragged to endless protests. Even a tragic event at one of these can’t save the reader. The motivation behind this tragedy could have been a fantastic story within itself, but Erlick lets it drop in order to take us to, well, more protests. There were some beautiful opportunities to celebrate the characters through their wins and losses. Instead, I felt I was rushed through the rest of their lives, be they short or long. I do think this is a novel that young adults who enjoy the existential will devour, and rightly so. The problems aren’t insurmountable. In my opinion, it was more about missed opportunities and the ‘filler’, which chips away at the perfectly executed beginning. By the end, I’d almost forgotten what I loved about the book. That being said, I was starting to feel trapped a literary desert in terms of fiction. Erlick provided a plot and characters that made for a a thrilling escape. So, for that, I’m grateful.

5 stars for the premise 3 stars for the mediocre writing with way too much telling and not nearly enough showing 1 star for the structure and narrative: - the “Crash” like stories of people who are knowingly or unknowingly connected to one another kept me from fully immersing in the story - the predictable final “twist” that actually constitutes a major plothole in the book - the disappointing way that the fabulous premise ended up in a somewhat dull story Overall a 3 star average I’m feeling generous and adding half a star and rounding to 4 stars because it was a very fast read that kept me engaged somehow (after the first 30-40 pages that felt a chore). And made me teary eyed even with some cliches.

Amazing premise, everyone 22 and older, all over the world, received a small wooden box outside their doorway containing a string in a length that fortells the length of their lives. The "short stringers" become a class of their own, exposed to bias and prejudice by the people with longer strngs stirred up by a nefarious politician. I loved the various characters, except the politician, worrying about their futures, and following their point of view chapters as time passes. Interconnections among the characters happen organically, like a man who is in a weekly support group for short stringers writes a letter which he leaves in the elementary classroom where the group meets. The next day a teacher finds the note and responds, both using their initials, keeping up their anonymity for months till they meet through mutual friends/families. Theirs is just one of the touching stories in the book. I laughed and cried. I wondered what I would do if I awoke in this world...would I even open my box? Do I want to know when my life will end?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Reading about the characters and their development was fantastic. This book really brought up perspectives and made me ask myself, “what would I do”?

It has been YEARS since I enjoyed a book so much that I stayed up all night reading it because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, this book had me up until I finished the whole thing. The exhaustion the next day was totally worth it! It was masterfully written, thought provoking & one unexpected twist after the other. I haven’t stopped thinking about the concept of the strings since I finished the book. The whole concept was extraordinarily clever, well executed & left you satisfied. I intend to recommend this to all my friends & think it would interest a broad audience of people. I am was enthralled, this is hands downs the best book I’ve consumed in a long time. Go read it!

This is a very intriguing concept about everyone receiving a string to show the length of their life. Then the debate follows of whether to look at it or not, and the difficulty in some couple where there’s a difference of opinion. Plus different governments around the world take different views and the whole discussion of discrimination arises. There is also exploration of what we do with our lives and what constitutes a good life. Really thought provoking book. I loved it.

One of the best novels I have read. Nikki Erlick writes a fine and very exciting story about the greater good without ever being judgemental, biased or schoolmasterly. This book is for the literary backlist, it should be read in every school and discussed all over the world.

Geen groots verhaal maar geeft ondanks dat het fictie is wel stof tot nadenken over hoe je je leven wilt inrichten. Dat maakt het het lezen waard.

Io ho acquistato la versione in inglese, il libro è davvero bello ed interessante e scritto in un inglese facilmente comprensibile.