Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

In a Handful of Dust
In a Handful of Dust
In a Handful of Dust
Audiobook9 hours

In a Handful of Dust

Written by Mindy McGinnis

Narrated by Allyson Ryan

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Fans of classic frontier survival stories, as well as readers of dystopian literature, will enjoy this futuristic story about an epic cross-country journey.

In a Handful of Dust is set ten years after the first novel, Not a Drop to Drink, as a dangerous disease strikes the community where teenage Lucy lives. When her adoptive mother, Lynn, takes Lucy away from their home and friends in order to protect her, Lucy struggles to figure out what home means. During their journey west to find a new life, the two face nature’s challenges, including hunger, mountains, and deserts.

New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant says Not a Drop to Drink is a debut “not to be missed,” and this companion title is full of Mindy McGinnis’s evocative, spare language matched with incredible drama and danger. In a Handful of Dust is perfect for fans of the Partials, Enclave, and Legend series.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 23, 2014
ISBN9780062345707
Author

Mindy McGinnis

Mindy McGinnis is the author of several young adult novels, including A Long Stretch of Bad Days, The Last Laugh, The Initial Insult, Heroine, The Female of the Species, and A Madness So Discreet, winner of an Edgar Award. She writes across multiple genres, including postapocalyptic, historical, thriller, contemporary, mystery, and fantasy. While her settings may change, you can always count on her books to deliver grit, truth, and an unflinching look at humanity and the world around us. Mindy lives in Ohio. You can visit her online at mindymcginnis.com.

More audiobooks from Mindy Mc Ginnis

Related to In a Handful of Dust

Related audiobooks

YA Action & Adventure For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for In a Handful of Dust

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5

41 ratings10 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Liked it a lot but thought the end needed a lot more.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Rarely is a sequel as good as its predecessor, and rarer still is a sequel that surpasses its predecessor. So imagine my delight when I read IN A HANDFUL OF DUST (IHOD)and found it even more enthralling than the excellent NOT A DROP TO DRINK (NDTD.Picking up ten years after the first book, IHOD introduces us to a fully grown Lynn and a now sixteen year old Lucy as they are forced to trek across the country constantly pursued by natural and human dangers. In the previous book, all the major events happened--by necessity--within a few miles of the pond, so there was an intimacy and hyper focused feel to the story. In this sequel, we get to see the world as it has become. And it's often horrifying, bleak, and amazing. One of the more amazing aspects of IHOD comes from the decade gap between stories. We get a full picture of the woman Lynn has grown into, and more than that, we get to see how she shaped Lucy. The dynamic is very different from Lynn's relationship with her mother. While just as gritty as NDTD, IHOD delves deeper into this world and the people groups it has created--good and bad. There is a similar feel in places to shows like The Walking Dead, and like that show, it makes you question the costs of survival, cling to the moments of happiness, and reveal in the characters who must walk the fine line between them.This is a stellar follow up to a stellar debut. Highly recommend.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I wanted to read In a Handful of Dust since I devoured Not a Drop to Drink. Ten years have passed and Lucy is a teenager now. She is a helper and unlike Lynn she is more of a people person, wanting to be around and surrounded. So when polio wipes through the community that Lynn and Lucy had accumulated since the first book. Lynn is still mourning Eli and the others that were the first that she let in. But Lucy is so full of hope, optimism, and she has this sweet romance with Carter. It is neat to see Lucy grown up and the changes that were made in their camp. But when Lucy and Carter are both suspected of being the carrier to polio, and their lack of knowledge about such diseases, both are to leave the community before anything else could happen. Lucy leaves food for Carter as they travel after seeing him, and she so wants to find answers about the disease... If they can one day have a life together if the incubation period was shorter rather than something that never went away. Lucy and Lynn meet a few people on the road and while Joss always rubbed me the wrong way, I loved Fletcher. He had such a kind and generous spirit. He helps the women with their horses, and gives them more news and a traveling companion part of the way to California, where there were rumors of a desalination plant as well as electricity. This dream really settles in Lucy's heart and Lynn supports her completely and they journey to California across the plains and mountains in hope of a brighter future and a community. They had their fair share of hardships from altitude sickness, to being shot at, near drownings and lack of the amount of water and food they need. But things keep working in their favor at the end. So again, the writing as well as Lynn's strength of character, her fighter's spirit, along with her rock solid determination to live as well as take care of Lucy. The plot kept me riveted and I didn't want to put it down. It did have some pretty disturbing twists in a community that took them in after a particularly bad time... and they see the lengths that some will go through in order to have water to drink and feel safe. It really blew my mind and I totally couldn't believe what I was reading. Lucy grew so much in this one. She went from being afraid of everything and so dependent on Lynn to a girl with a fire in her heart and okay to start standing on her own two feet with the help of community. While the Lucy and Carter thread was present, romance was never front and center in these books. I was a diehard and hoped for a way for them to eventually be together. That is why I don't give it a 5 star. It just didn't give me quite what I wanted as far as romance and the ending that I would want. I think that this ended better for me than the first one, but I still wanted a bit more closure. I have a lot of hope on Lucy's end, but Lynn I am so afraid of what happened with her and her decisions. If there is another in this series I will jump at the chance to read it and I would love more in this world and find out what happens next and maybe they can have the romantic ending that I wish for them. The ending is laced with a lot of hope and promises of better times for the most part. Bottom Line: Enjoyed their journey and Lucy's character growth.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    For more reviews, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.One of the things I hate is when a sequel is announced after I’ve read the first book. Not a Drop to Drink was one of my favorite YA post-apocalyptics, but I was still disgruntled to discover I’d started yet another series. Even so, I enjoyed McGinnis’ story enough to be willing to try the next book. Plus, THOSE COVERS YO. The publisher calls In a Handful of Dust a companion, but it actually spoils the events of the first book, so be careful about that. It took me a while to get into In a Handful of Dust, but it was ultimately similarly satisfying and bleak.Trying to remember Not a Drop to Drink was a big issue for me. In a Handful of Dust jumps ten years into the future and so I’m trying to remember characters who are the same but different. There have obviously been changes and I was hard-pressed to keep up with who was important with my memories of Not a Drop so far in the past. Eventually that got sorted, but I spent a while frustrated, trying to recall which characters I already knew.The main character of In a Handful of Dust is Lucy, the adopted daughter of Lynn, the main character of Not a Drop to Drink. Lynn is now an adult, but just as practical as ever. I love that Lynn isn’t any softer than she was in Not a Drop. Though she’s a mother of sorts now and truly loves Lucy, she’s still not emotional or any less apt to kill first and ask questions later. Lynn is as hard-edged as she needs to be to protect herself and her kin.Lucy, however, is a foil to Lynn. Despite what she’s been through, she retains a certain naivete and faith in other people. Raised for the last years by Lynn, Vera and Stebbs, surrounded by mostly good people, she expects those she meets to be good. She likes to give people the benefit of the doubt and to seek non-violent solutions. They’re almost character studies, highlighting the benefits of skepticism and of trust in such a scenario. Ultimately, both Lucy’s kindness and Lynn’s mistrust come in handy, but I think Lynn’s really built to survive.What I do love about this series is that McGinnis is brutal, sort of like Lynn. There’s nothing easy or convenient about life in her novels. Often, YA post-apocalyptics aren’t all that brutal. People die, but no one we care about, and ultimately the situation is resolved and normal life resumes, all while giving the main character a sexy romance. Not so with McGinnis, who obviously hates romance and wants to show a realistic scenario, by which I mean a horrifying one.The one aspect that didn’t really work for me was the minimal romance. It wasn’t intended to be romantic, but it was a bit plothole-ish to me at times. Lucy was starting to have feelings for this boy, Carter. What the blurb doesn’t mention is that he’s also sent out of the community for the same reason as she and Lynn. However, he doesn’t know what to do and follows her. Lucy promises to leave him food and water, so he won’t starve, and tries to keep Lynn from moving to fast so he gets left behind. Then some stuff happens and she and Lynn end up moving REALLY quickly, but she never really gives thought to the fact that she’s just left him behind. This is picked up again later, but the fact that he wasn’t considered for so long bugged me. Ultimately, I liked the resolution to Carter’s story, but I think Lucy’s feelings were inconsistently handled.If you enjoyed Not a Drop to Drink, I think that In a Handful of Dust will likely please you as well. McGinnis’ series is a good choice for those who like their post-apocalyptic fiction truly bleak.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In A Handful of Dust is described as a companion to Not a Drop to Drink. I can see why it’s called that instead of a sequel. It takes place ten years after Not a Drop to Drink and easily stands alone. I tweeted Mindy to ask her if a third book is planned, since I’m pretty sure there is a law that all dystopian YA novels have to be part of a trilogy, but she said there are no plans as of yet. She has a new book coming out in October called A Madness so Discreet that sounds really good but nothing like her first two books.Anyway, back to In a Handful of Dust. Lucy is a teenager now and has grown into the complete opposite of Lynn. She is social and trusting and naive because she has grown up sheltered and protected from the outside world by Lynn. Lynn hasn’t changed much in the past ten years. She’s learned to trust a small group of people but still assumes the worst of most anyone. This causes a fair amount of conflict on their journey, although they love each other a lot.Along their way, they run into several interesting people and have some nail-biter problems. However, the pacing between these incidents was too slow. Also, the descriptions of what was going on in their down time became repetitive. It was mostly about how thirsty and tired they were.The novel is told from Lucy’s point of view. She is more positive and at the same time, more unsure of herself and her choices than Lynn ever was so the general atmosphere is different than Not A Drop to Drink but not in a bad way. The last part of the book takes a deeply dark turn. I would have liked the author to have spent more time developing this section rather than on the journey to get there.Overall, I think fans of Not a Drop to Drink will like this book and enjoy spending more time with Lynn and Lucy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Realistic story that really pulls at your heart strings. I am so glad McGinnis decided to revisit this world that I loved so much from Not a Drop to Drink and this was an amazing sequel that I really enjoyed.Opening Sentence: Maddy died hard.The Review:Lucy has luckily grown up in a loving community in the rural state of Ohio, filled with great friends and a loving adoptive mother. The world they live in is brutal and filled with people that will do anything to survive. Years ago before Lucy was even born most of the water became contaminated and led to the majority of the population dying off. Now clean water is the most important commodity you can possess and lucky for Lucy she has never had to worry about going without. Lucy figured that she would eventually marry and grow old in her community, but soon all of her dreams change.A horrible disease hits their community that leaves many dead and others with permanent handicaps. No one knows for sure where the disease is coming from but it looks as if the only solution for Lucy is to leave behind the only home she has ever really known. There are rumors that California has desalination plants that make it possible to always have clean water, and offer a possible “normal” life. Lynn decides that the best course of action for them is to pack up and journey across the country, and hope that they will be able to make it to California in one piece.Lucy was a refreshing character in such a depressing setting. She was always happy and full of hope even when times got hard. I loved her sense of humor and how she could always seem to lighten the mood. But at the same time she knows when to take things seriously, which I respected. Her life is by no means an easy one, but she has learned to be grateful for what she has. Also, it was very different being inside Lucy’s head then it was being in Lynn’s head from Not a Drop to Drink, which I really liked because I looked at the world from a completely different perspective. Lucy sees opportunity as a good thing and I felt in general this book was had a more positive feel to it. I really liked Lucy and thought that she was an interesting character to get to know!I loved that Lynn was the same person I met in the first book, but she grew into a better version of herself. She has opened her heart to a few people but she still doesn’t trust easily. She knows that this life is hard, but she has also finally learned that there are things worth living for. Her relationship with Lucy is very sweet and her motherly side actually helped me to connect with her on a much deeper level. I also am a mother and the things Lynn sacrificed for Lucy was out of a motherly love that I can easily understand. Seeing this side to Lynn made her more human to me and I am really glad I got to see that from her.In a Handful of Dust is a realistic heartwarming story about sacrifice, love, and the will to go on. I will admit that the setting is a rather depressing one but that just made it that much more real. The fact that there is a possibility that this really could be our world someday if we aren’t careful was both intriguing and scary at the same time. There were a few times I felt that the story moved a little slower then I would have liked, but overall, I thought that the pacing was very good. I really loved the entire cast of characters and I am glad McGinnis decided to give us another book in the series. It helped satisfy some of my curiosity after finishing the first book in the series. I really enjoy McGinnis’ writing style, she knows how to drag your heart through a meat grinder, but she also does a wonderful job putting it back together. Overall, I am a huge fan of this series and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a realistic young adult post-apocalyptic story!Notable Scene:“I had real plans once, you know?” Carter said. “I was starting to think maybe you and me, we could have a little place of our own, someday.”“Yeah. I was starting to think that too,” Lucy said, tears catching in her throat.They looked at each across the void they could not bridge, their silent, saltwater good-byes streaming down their faces.“You should go,” Carter said abruptly, turning away from her. “Stay safe, stay with Lynn. Name a baby after me.”“Shit,” Lucy choked. “I’ll name two.”“Now that’s just stupid.”Lucy laughed through her tears, and he turned around. “Go on now, Lucy. It’s not going to get any easier.”She turned and ran through the woods, crashing through the underbrush and into the wet grass that whipped at her legs. The cold night air felt like it would burst her lungs but she kept running, sprinting past the still bodies of the sick.FTC Advisory: Harper Teen provided me with a copy of In a Handful of Dust. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There's plenty of excitement in this second book. Ms. McGinnis takes her characters on the road for a story that is very different from "Not a Drop to Drink". Lynn and Lucy encounter much in the way of brutality, but also wonderful bits of humanity and there is a lovely section where they share their journey with horses whom they come to love. A great follow-up novel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In A Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis is the second book in the series that began with Not A Drop To Drink and it is as bleak and exciting as the first book. Somewhere between Thelma and Louise and Cormac McCarthy's The Road with just enough of an infusion of Mad Max beyond the Thunderdome to make it a dystopian novel of dark dread and fun.Life for Lucy has been difficult by the pond. After the world collapsed and water became the coin of the realm, Lucy found safety and a new family by the pond. Having lost her mother and uncle at such a young age, she has gone up with her adoptive mother Lynn. A young girl barely fifthteen years older than Lucy when she took her in. Buy Lynn has always protected Lucy and together they helped to care for the small community that grew around the fresh water pond.But now illness has come to the small group and when Lucy and her friend good friend Carter are accused to be the carriers; Lucy is forced to leave. Lynn, unwilling to allow Lucy to go alone, sets out with her adopted daughter as they leave the small pond in Ohio and begin their journey to the west coast. It is in California that Lynn and Lucy believe they will find a home. The tales of desalination plants by the ocean give them hope of a world with clean water.Lucy has her own gift, she is a dowser. She can find water. Its a dangerous gift, one that people will seek to control her over. But Lynn has her own gift. One she honed to a knife's edge as she lay on her rooftop with her own mother many years before. Lynn's gift is her rifle.Together they travel across the country looking for a promise land of clean water. A journey that will be filled with heartache and betrayal and secrets best left hidden.Not a Drop to Drink was Lynn's story and as such, In a Handful of Dust is Lucy's. She has grown, no longer the little girl who is trying to understand why her mother is so distant and unloving, into a sarcastic teenager who has bonded with her adoptive mother Lynn though at times they seem more like sisters than mother and daughter. Lynn herself is not longer the young girl, struggling with the killing of her own mother by wild coyotes but a strong woman whose love and care for her adoptive daughter is as fierce as if she had given birth to her herself.Their trek across the wasteland that was once the United States is a eye opening picture of a stark future where the world will no longer support humanity. Cities crumble and mankind reverts back to its baser instincts. In a Handful of Dust is one of the better young adult novels out there. A truly good read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    2.5 Stars

    I'm really not sure what to think about this story. I'm more of a happy ending person, and it seems like nothing good ever happens. I felt like even just one positive thing would have made it a lot better for me. If in the end everyone ends up alone, it just isn't a good story for me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I didn't like as much as I liked the first book but it was still just as strong.This book follows a teenaged Lucy being brought up by grown-up Lynn. A disease is running through the now close community that Lynn secluded herself from and the only two possible sources for it are Lucy and her best friend Carter. The community is forced to cast them out and prevent the contagious person from contaminating their water sources. The two are told to travel in the opposite direction and Lucy is accompanied by Lynn who is determined to help her survive. They run into trouble many times but Lucy dreams of the day she finally makes it to the California shoreline where there are rumors of water plants purifying the salty ocean into drinkable water. I feel like the stakes were much higher in this sequel and it was much more intense but I think I didn't like Lucy very much. She's literally the only reason I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book. I could excuse her actions as a little five-year-old but now she was just annoying. Other than that this one was solid and deserves no less than four stars.