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The Rambling
Buddy Pennington is headed to river country, hoping his luck might change. He’ll be better off with his daddy, a wandering soul and a local legend for his skills at Parsnit, a mysterious card game of magic, chance, and storytelling. But no sooner are Buddy and his pop reunited than some of Pop’s old enemies arrive to take him away. Boss Authority, the magical crime lord who has held the rivers in his grasp for years, is ready to collect on an old debt Buddy’s father owes.
Now Buddy must set out on a dangerous rescue mission, learning to play Parsnit with the best of them as he goes. Because the stars are aligning for one last epic duel—one that will require a sticky-fingered ally, a lucky twist of fate, and the hand of a lifetime. And in this game, you’re only as strong as the story you tell.
Now Buddy must set out on a dangerous rescue mission, learning to play Parsnit with the best of them as he goes. Because the stars are aligning for one last epic duel—one that will require a sticky-fingered ally, a lucky twist of fate, and the hand of a lifetime. And in this game, you’re only as strong as the story you tell.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 1, 2019
On his quest to find his father, Buddy Pennington journeys down a perilous river where the dangerous figures he encounters along the shore are nothing compared to the creatures that lurk below the muddy water. Everything hinges on Buddy's ability to play Parsnit - a card game that's part magic, part luck, party story - and he won't get anywhere without the help of a girl who's much more than first meets the eye.
Here is a tale of dark waters and rows of jagged teeth, of witchcraft and hexes, of close calls and curses, and of hope in the face of insurmountable odds. Beautifully written and brimming with messages on the dangers of gambling, the importance of family, and the power of forgiveness. Harrowing and heartfelt, The Rambling is a perfect fit for those itching to leave the world behind and enter a darksome realm of omens and chance.
Here is a tale of dark waters and rows of jagged teeth, of witchcraft and hexes, of close calls and curses, and of hope in the face of insurmountable odds. Beautifully written and brimming with messages on the dangers of gambling, the importance of family, and the power of forgiveness. Harrowing and heartfelt, The Rambling is a perfect fit for those itching to leave the world behind and enter a darksome realm of omens and chance.
I rowed harder. I let the current yank me, I felt the pull of the river like a strong man reached out to hug me. I saw animals on the riverbank, two deer with black eyes bowing their heads, solemn as angels, and an owl swooped low over us. That could be a good sign, an owl over open water, or a bad one, depending on who it was scrying the omens. Pop always said life isn't so much what happens as who tells the better story about it later.
One way or the other, this would be a heck of a story to tell. Now it was up to me to make sure it had a happy ending, a boy and his pop back together, all the low-down scoundrels vanquished, nothing but glad tidings to sing and happy times to tell about.
Well, here's to all that, I thought, and downriver I rowed.
March 28, 2019
Update: One of my course assignments was to make a book trailer, so I made one for this book. Check it out here.
Review originally published 25 March 2019 at Falling Letters.
I read Cajoleas’ debut middle grade, Goldeline , last summer. Unfortunately, I liked the cover more than I liked the book. Fortunately, The Rambling is a marked improvement over Goldeline!
This story lives up to that marvelously eerie cover. If there’s one word I would use to describe this book, it would be ‘atmospheric’. Cajoleas excels at describing the setting. I could imagine the air changing around me when reading about Buddy and new friend Tally drifting through and hiding in the swamp. More than once I squirmed and had to stop eating a snack when Buddy described encounters with creepy crawlies. I feel like it’s been awhile since I read a middle grade book with such an evocative setting.
The game of Parsnit is another aspect of the book that Cajoleas writes well. In Parsnit, two players take turns drawing cards from their decks. They ‘orate’ a story around the cards – the best storyteller wins. But as the story progresses, we learn that there’s more to Parsnit than just being a game. It took me awhile to realize Parsnit is based on tarot with a greater infusion of magic and storytelling. (If you’re familiar with the cards that make a tarot deck, you might catch on sooner). Parsnit games didn’t appear as often as I thought I would have liked. But once they do start happening – it was worth the wait. Cajoleas doesn’t take the easy way out by skipping over the actual orating that takes place during a Parsnit duel. Readers get to hear Buddy share his story as he plays Parsnit.
The Rambling also features one of my favourite middle grade tropes – the young main character learning about his parents’ past and grappling with his feelings about it.
The Bottom Line: It seems to me The Rambling improves on everything Cajoleas' was aiming for in Goldeline. If a creepy swamp setting or a magical storytelling game appeal to you at all, give this book a go.
Original thoughts (Mar. 24): It’s atmospheric, that’s for sure! Further thoughts to come. Bumped it to four after sleeping on it. If Goldeline is 3.5, then this is a 4 (so goes my somewhat arbitrary decision making of whether a book is 3 or 4 stars).
Review originally published 25 March 2019 at Falling Letters.
I read Cajoleas’ debut middle grade, Goldeline , last summer. Unfortunately, I liked the cover more than I liked the book. Fortunately, The Rambling is a marked improvement over Goldeline!
This story lives up to that marvelously eerie cover. If there’s one word I would use to describe this book, it would be ‘atmospheric’. Cajoleas excels at describing the setting. I could imagine the air changing around me when reading about Buddy and new friend Tally drifting through and hiding in the swamp. More than once I squirmed and had to stop eating a snack when Buddy described encounters with creepy crawlies. I feel like it’s been awhile since I read a middle grade book with such an evocative setting.
The game of Parsnit is another aspect of the book that Cajoleas writes well. In Parsnit, two players take turns drawing cards from their decks. They ‘orate’ a story around the cards – the best storyteller wins. But as the story progresses, we learn that there’s more to Parsnit than just being a game. It took me awhile to realize Parsnit is based on tarot with a greater infusion of magic and storytelling. (If you’re familiar with the cards that make a tarot deck, you might catch on sooner). Parsnit games didn’t appear as often as I thought I would have liked. But once they do start happening – it was worth the wait. Cajoleas doesn’t take the easy way out by skipping over the actual orating that takes place during a Parsnit duel. Readers get to hear Buddy share his story as he plays Parsnit.
The Rambling also features one of my favourite middle grade tropes – the young main character learning about his parents’ past and grappling with his feelings about it.
We stayed dead still, Tally holding my hand, the two of us crouched and quiet in the bottom of the boat. The tree swaddled us with its moss, big limbs draped around us like a giant wretched mother’s arms, bony and gaunt, bugs crawling all over them. The water was grayer and murkier here, it swirled in a baby little whirlpool that kept bumping the skiff into the trees. The trees were something else too, bark, carved on by human hands, symbols and scratch marks like how you figure a witch’s spell book looks. Above us dangled bones clacking together like wind chimes, another daisy chain of digit bones, jawless skulls wedged between branches and in the knots of trees, gaping at us, all those empty eye sockets watching. (pg. 25)
The Bottom Line: It seems to me The Rambling improves on everything Cajoleas' was aiming for in Goldeline. If a creepy swamp setting or a magical storytelling game appeal to you at all, give this book a go.
Original thoughts (Mar. 24): It’s atmospheric, that’s for sure! Further thoughts to come. Bumped it to four after sleeping on it. If Goldeline is 3.5, then this is a 4 (so goes my somewhat arbitrary decision making of whether a book is 3 or 4 stars).
September 11, 2018
Buddy Pennington has no good luck-no matter how hard he tries, he keeps getting into trouble. After he wears out his welcome at home, Buddy heads to the Swamplands to find his estranged father, a famous gambler and Parsnit player. Cajoleas once again strikes gold in this Southern-fried fantasy, with heady and haunting mystery paired with old-fashioned hope, faith, and self acceptance. His twist on tarot cards is truly awe-inspiring world building, and mixed with spider people, swamp witches, and the Creepy, there are chills and thrills a-plenty.
August 25, 2018
4.5 stars, rounding up to five because I only felt like the pacing was slightly off at the end.
Oooh such great world-building! The Rambling takes place in a world that reminded me a lot of The Dark Tower's saloons and seedy parlors -- a swamp world with sparks of magic that fuel a card game called Parsnip, where each player draws player/location/journey cards and Orates the story to pull all those elements together. Buddy, ever-plagued by bad luck, has struck off to find his wandering-bard and Parsnip fiend of a father after accidentally burning down his mother's bakery. He falls into a deadly adventure much more dangerous than he'd ever expected, and uncovers long-buried secrets about his world and family. This is the second Cajoleas book I've read this summer, and I'm seriously digging his worlds!
Oooh such great world-building! The Rambling takes place in a world that reminded me a lot of The Dark Tower's saloons and seedy parlors -- a swamp world with sparks of magic that fuel a card game called Parsnip, where each player draws player/location/journey cards and Orates the story to pull all those elements together. Buddy, ever-plagued by bad luck, has struck off to find his wandering-bard and Parsnip fiend of a father after accidentally burning down his mother's bakery. He falls into a deadly adventure much more dangerous than he'd ever expected, and uncovers long-buried secrets about his world and family. This is the second Cajoleas book I've read this summer, and I'm seriously digging his worlds!
December 7, 2020
Well, now that was a durn good tale. One set in the deep, dark swamp, with gators and witches and spider-folk, hexes and blood magic and the bone-eating Creepy, and, most of all, the high-stakes game Parsnit, where cards and magic and storytelling converge.
Buddy's tired of feeling like he can't do anything right, the unluckiest boy in the world, so after halfway burning down his mom's bakery he sets off on his own to find his dad, a legendary Parsnit player and luckiest scoundrel in the swamp. But no sooner does Buddy find his Pop than he's snatched away by two goons working for the crooked Boss Authority, and it's up to Buddy to give chase in the hopes of a rescue. If he can manage to survive, it might just be time for Buddy to learn how to play Parsnit and see if he can tell a good enough story to work some magic of his own.
Parsnit players win by Orating so well that listeners get fully drawn in and feel the story as real, and that's just what Cajoleas accomplishes with his book. His sinister, mystical world is tangible, the characters fleshed out and alive, the adventure arousing. I've read another book since, but this is the one that still lingers. It is powerful good magic. 4.5 stars.
Buddy's tired of feeling like he can't do anything right, the unluckiest boy in the world, so after halfway burning down his mom's bakery he sets off on his own to find his dad, a legendary Parsnit player and luckiest scoundrel in the swamp. But no sooner does Buddy find his Pop than he's snatched away by two goons working for the crooked Boss Authority, and it's up to Buddy to give chase in the hopes of a rescue. If he can manage to survive, it might just be time for Buddy to learn how to play Parsnit and see if he can tell a good enough story to work some magic of his own.
Parsnit players win by Orating so well that listeners get fully drawn in and feel the story as real, and that's just what Cajoleas accomplishes with his book. His sinister, mystical world is tangible, the characters fleshed out and alive, the adventure arousing. I've read another book since, but this is the one that still lingers. It is powerful good magic. 4.5 stars.
Have you ever looked at a painting or heard a song or just been somewhere beautiful--maybe an old creaky house or a sunlit field or in front of a wild oak tree, just as the moon was rising--and felt like, yes, this is me this is me exactly, I could be looking in a mirror of my dreams? Have you ever felt anything like that at all in your life? If not, well, take it from old Buddy here--you ain't been looking hard enough. It's out there for you, the feeling of recognizing yourself in something else, and when you find it, oh it will feel so good deep inside of you. It'll change you forever.
-----
"You know how the best stories are all about the Rambling Duke, or the Mountebank, or any old adventurer who takes off down the Wayward River?"
"Yeah," I said. "So?"
"There are other stories, Buddy," she said. "Of folks who maybe aren't quite so free, who can't just pack up and run after any adventure that comes their way. Their stories might not seem as exciting, and they might take place somewhere regular and boring. But that doesn't mean these folks haven't sacrificed and loved and lost and fought battles just as hard as someone out on the road. It doesn't make their stories any less powerful, important, or real. It doesn't make their stories mean any less."
May 21, 2020
This was really great. Wonderful prose, nature writing, and dynamic characters that were a joy to be around on the journey (even the villains are so wonderfully crafted and three dimensional). Lots of action, twists and turns, but at the center of the story, massive heart. At multiple points I was cheering because something happened in the novel that was a complete surprise but a natural payoff. Lots of laughs and deep pathos too. Cajoleas can write anything from what I’ve seen.
December 18, 2018
This is a such a lyrical, spooky, and imaginative story! The swampy, sticky, lush, oozy and smelly and beautiful backdrop of the river country Buddy ventures into just explodes into my mind's eye, as if the best Orator in the county had told it, and I'm obsessed with finding a Parsnit deck of my own...but maybe just to look at - I don't that luck would favor me any more than she favors Buddy.
September 27, 2019
The reason why i gave it three stars because it wasn't that intriguing but it is interesting so and also i like how it was in a teenagers point of view and i like how he went through all of that for his dad who was not always there. The reason why someone else should read it because it is a good book it has a lot of suspense and it will draw you in and it is not that bad to read and not that long either . Maybe a little bit more info and more action and mystery would make it a lot better in my opinion. This book should have had a lot more back story to .
August 22, 2019
Read it to my kids. The imagery was fantastic- captivating and eerie. Enough action to keep a 7,9, and 11 year old interested, but I thought there was a bit of gratuitous-action (didn’t move plot or develop characters) that made the middle lag. The main character was courageous but still kid-like. The end was so so interesting and thought-provoking. Sparked meaningful discussion with my kids.
June 4, 2019
This was very moody, and parts were pretty creepy which I feel sets it apart from a lot of middle grade/children's books - the peril felt more realized than in most books and the novel was the stronger for it.
Read
June 21, 2019Buddy has had bad luck for a long time and decides his mother will be better off with out him around so he goes searching for his father. Buddy has to rescue his father and save the swamp with his storytelling skills. Will he succeed or will all be lost?
September 23, 2019
Had to force myself to finish this one. Swamp stories just aren't my thing, but there was something to this one that kept telling me not to put it down. It took it a while to get interesting, but once it did, the story wasn't ordinary. Specially liked the ending.
July 22, 2020
Liked this. He knows how to weave a story and pace it just so. It's a book I'd recommend to my students but would be a bit choosy as to whom given the story's slant to witches and the like.
Well done!
Well done!
May 23, 2023
Buddy is going to the river country. When buddy gets with his dad there are people that come that are his dads enemies. Buddy has to set out a dangerous mission learning how to play a game. A lucky thing of fate and he is already back in the game playing on his mission.
April 22, 2019
A middle grade adventure with touches of magic. I struggled to get into this book and put it down several times before I finally finished it.
October 15, 2019
Burtonbery 2020
July 28, 2020
Gah, can Jimmy Cajoleas ever write. Beautiful, profound, gritty, and adventuresome. I adored it with my whole heart.
November 17, 2020
I love storytelling, I loved how the story captured me and the characters grew throughout the story.
October 19, 2021
I read a lot of middle grade novels to my own children. This one was quite dark and scary. I gave it 3 stars since my kids liked it but the words follow along with the title and just ramble.
Read
May 25, 20225/5
July 25, 2019
From the author of Goldeline comes another middle grade fantasy that is sure to sweep readers away. The Rambling is another standalone novel by Jimmy Cajoleas.
Buddy Pennington was born in a small town set on a river that lead to a dark swamp filled with magic. Now, he lives in a quiet, boring town far away from his beloved river and his father. Convinced his luck will be better if lives with his father, Buddy sets off for the river and small house he remembers. But there are reasons Buddy and his mother moved away, reasons Buddy isn’t privy too. No sooner are Buddy and his father reunited than old enemies come knocking. With only his father’s magical Parsnit cards, Buddy must go on a rescue mission, one where he learns about friendship, family, and magic.
Buddy himself narrates this tale, a very befitting choice which becomes clearer the more the reader learns about the magical card game called Parsnit. The prose is wonderful, lyrical, and doesn’t quiet feel as if an eleven-year-old narrates it. Buddy, of course, makes the sorts of mistakes that any eleven year old would be bound to make, but our narrator speaks with the voice of a true storyteller.
The quest our young hero sets out on is one we’ve seen before. Alone and without much information, Buddy sets off after the two men who have kidnapped his father. The farther he follows the trail, the deeper into the swamp he goes. Here, the world is ruled by tradition and fading magic. Things lurk in the swamp that strike fear into people’s hearts, and above it all sits master criminal Boss Authority, gathering up power everywhere he goes. He’s not one to cross, but it seems that’s exactly what Buddy’s father has done.
The world of The Rambling is one of mystery and magic. The story is, by and large, set on a swampy, forested river. Small towns dot the river, inhabited by witches, criminals, and shapeshifters. The atmosphere of magic and the unknown is almost as palpable as the heat and sticky humidity that plagues Buddy’s travels.
Yet, the real star of this show is the game parsnit. This is a card game, but not one played with a typical deck of cards. These cards have no numbers, and the pictures that adorn them change slightly depending on the witch who created them and the player who owns them. Parsnit is a game of stories. Players tell dueling tales depending on what cards come up and in what order. Whoever tells the best story is deemed the winner.
The Rambling by Jimmy Cajoleas is a wonderful middle grade novel of adventure and magic. I devoured this book in a single sitting, just as I did with Cajoleas’s other novel. I cannot wait to see what else this author may have in store for us in the future.
This review and more can be found on Looking Glass Reads.
Buddy Pennington was born in a small town set on a river that lead to a dark swamp filled with magic. Now, he lives in a quiet, boring town far away from his beloved river and his father. Convinced his luck will be better if lives with his father, Buddy sets off for the river and small house he remembers. But there are reasons Buddy and his mother moved away, reasons Buddy isn’t privy too. No sooner are Buddy and his father reunited than old enemies come knocking. With only his father’s magical Parsnit cards, Buddy must go on a rescue mission, one where he learns about friendship, family, and magic.
Buddy himself narrates this tale, a very befitting choice which becomes clearer the more the reader learns about the magical card game called Parsnit. The prose is wonderful, lyrical, and doesn’t quiet feel as if an eleven-year-old narrates it. Buddy, of course, makes the sorts of mistakes that any eleven year old would be bound to make, but our narrator speaks with the voice of a true storyteller.
The quest our young hero sets out on is one we’ve seen before. Alone and without much information, Buddy sets off after the two men who have kidnapped his father. The farther he follows the trail, the deeper into the swamp he goes. Here, the world is ruled by tradition and fading magic. Things lurk in the swamp that strike fear into people’s hearts, and above it all sits master criminal Boss Authority, gathering up power everywhere he goes. He’s not one to cross, but it seems that’s exactly what Buddy’s father has done.
The world of The Rambling is one of mystery and magic. The story is, by and large, set on a swampy, forested river. Small towns dot the river, inhabited by witches, criminals, and shapeshifters. The atmosphere of magic and the unknown is almost as palpable as the heat and sticky humidity that plagues Buddy’s travels.
Yet, the real star of this show is the game parsnit. This is a card game, but not one played with a typical deck of cards. These cards have no numbers, and the pictures that adorn them change slightly depending on the witch who created them and the player who owns them. Parsnit is a game of stories. Players tell dueling tales depending on what cards come up and in what order. Whoever tells the best story is deemed the winner.
The Rambling by Jimmy Cajoleas is a wonderful middle grade novel of adventure and magic. I devoured this book in a single sitting, just as I did with Cajoleas’s other novel. I cannot wait to see what else this author may have in store for us in the future.
This review and more can be found on Looking Glass Reads.
Shelved as 'dnf'
May 28, 2024DNF at 50%. I just can't. The title is apt because Buddy blathers on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and idk wtf is supposed to be happening but it's boring. It's too bad because I think the worldbuilding/idea behind the game of Parsnit is interesting, but I'm bored to tears by this book and its rambling pace. Buddy is also just...useless.
Read
February 19, 2022Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book with my husband! Jimmy Cajoleas was his high school classmate and our dear friend. Because of my bias, I don’t feel that I am qualified to give it a rating, but have loved journeying through this gripping story! We are so proud of you, Jimmy! 💙💙💙
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