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Figgs & Phantoms
Mona was miserable. You would be too if your family consisted of: Sister Figg Newton (Tap Dancer, Baton Twirler, and also your mother); Truman, the human pretzel (your uncle); Aunt Gracie Jo, the dog catcher, and her son, Fido the Second. To name a few. The only person Mona really gets along with is Uncle Florence, the book dealer. And he keeps hinting that he may have to leave Mona soon to go to Figg family heaven, a place referred to as "Capri." But where is Capri, and why do all the Figgs go there? To find her uncle, Mona knows she must find out.
152 pages, Hardcover
First published June 17, 1974
About the author
Ellen Raskin
25 books923 followersEllen Raskin was a writer, illustrator, and designer. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up during the Great Depression. She primarily wrote for children. She received the 1979 Newbery Medal for her 1978 book, The Westing Game.
Ms. Raskin was also an accomplished graphic artist. She designed dozens of dust jackets for books, including the first edition of Madeleine L'Engle's classic A Wrinkle in Time.
She married Dennis Flanagan, editor of Scientific American, in 1965.
Raskin died at the age of 56 on August 8, 1984, in New York City due to complications from connective tissue disease.
Ms. Raskin was also an accomplished graphic artist. She designed dozens of dust jackets for books, including the first edition of Madeleine L'Engle's classic A Wrinkle in Time.
She married Dennis Flanagan, editor of Scientific American, in 1965.
Raskin died at the age of 56 on August 8, 1984, in New York City due to complications from connective tissue disease.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
January 27, 2010
I've read this book many many times and have the ampersand from it tattooed on my wrist. Yet somehow I never realized how terrifying this book is. Also, there is truly no other book quite like this. Amazing.
April 13, 2009
I wish Raskin hadn't bothered with the silly names "Figgs" and "Newtons." It detracts from the story, which is very profound, bordering on the philosophical--about a girl's coming to terms with the death of her favorite uncle. Raskin's fond of making little inside jokes and puns on pop culture, but most of the pop culture references are sadly outdated. There are allusions to songs that were on the "Hit Parade" in the 1930s and 1940s and laudatory references to the works of Joseph Conrad -- not that Conrad was a bad writer, necessarily, but how many people outside of graduate literature classes read Conrad anymore? I'm not sure most undergrads read Conrad--except for Heart of Darkness and that seems old, old, old now.
Too bad about the contrived names and the punning. It's almost as if Raskin was ashamed to tell a straight story about how children deal with loss. But she was such a good writer, she should have trusted herself more. This edition has lovely illustrations from Raskin. Each page is a treat to look at.
Too bad about the contrived names and the punning. It's almost as if Raskin was ashamed to tell a straight story about how children deal with loss. But she was such a good writer, she should have trusted herself more. This edition has lovely illustrations from Raskin. Each page is a treat to look at.
January 26, 2016
Everyone remembers the first time a book blew their mind. When I was in fifth grade, this one went BOOM inside my head and completely changed my tastes in literature. This is like "Twin Peaks" as a YA novel- eccentric family members, surrealistic mindflights, skewed nostalgia and deep philosophical musings in a small town full of quirky bystanders. When you read this book as a kid, you'll like it, but you won't get it. The "mystery" Raskin promises in the prologue is never entirely addressed or solved in the novel. Instead, the clues are there for you to find yourself, by digging into the artistic and cultural references peppered in the book. Not until reading Joseph Conrad as an adult did I figure out the actual importance of Conrad's "Nigger of the Narcissus" (whose controversial name, and controversial renaming forms part of the book's narrative) to the mysterious Figg family cult. Highly recommended to slightly weird kids and the slightly weird adults they grow into.
December 24, 2011
A reissue of the 1974 Newbery Honor winner, Figgs and Phantoms tells the story (dubbed “a mysterious romance or a romantic mystery”) of Mona Lisa Figg Newton, a misfit living in fictional Pineapple, with her crazy family, both the Figgs and the Newtons. The only person she feels that understands her is her Uncle Florence (Italy, of course). But when he suddenly departs for what the family believes to be their afterlife on a place called Capri. Florence is determined to find him and goes on a journey of literature, music, and self-discovery.
While that sounds all fantastic and magical, the book itself is dated. There is a definite psychedelic tinge to the story, and topics such as sex, pornography, and racial slurs are mentioned (the N word is used). Additionally, younger kids may not get silly names and puns (will they laugh at her uncles named Remus and Romulus?).
Adults may pick up the book due to the Newbery Honor Medal on the front, but may very well be taken aback by the language and topics covered. With so many other wonderfully magical books available to kids today, this one should be far down the list of choices, despite being a Newbery.
(Reviewed for Puget Sound Council)
While that sounds all fantastic and magical, the book itself is dated. There is a definite psychedelic tinge to the story, and topics such as sex, pornography, and racial slurs are mentioned (the N word is used). Additionally, younger kids may not get silly names and puns (will they laugh at her uncles named Remus and Romulus?).
Adults may pick up the book due to the Newbery Honor Medal on the front, but may very well be taken aback by the language and topics covered. With so many other wonderfully magical books available to kids today, this one should be far down the list of choices, despite being a Newbery.
(Reviewed for Puget Sound Council)
Read
December 17, 2021Maybe when the Newbery club gets around to the year this was honored, and I reread it, I'll appreciate it better. Now I see a dark, surreal, artsy fable. I admire it, but I really don't like it. But I feel I should, even could, in the right frame of mind, with the right discussion mates.
The original (?) cover is brilliant. A B&W faceless tween girl, holding a pink and orange miniature desert island, complete with palm tree and Uncle Flo. The other covers that I see here are nonsense and to be avoided; cover them while reading if you do read from them.
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Reread. Still don't get it. Waiting for others in the discussion group to chime in. Do think this cover the most helpful.
The original (?) cover is brilliant. A B&W faceless tween girl, holding a pink and orange miniature desert island, complete with palm tree and Uncle Flo. The other covers that I see here are nonsense and to be avoided; cover them while reading if you do read from them.
---
Reread. Still don't get it. Waiting for others in the discussion group to chime in. Do think this cover the most helpful.
August 11, 2010
This book was originally reviewed on my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing.
Figgs and Phantoms by Ellen Raskin won the Nebery Honor in 1975. Four years later, she won the Newbery Award for The Westing Game. I read The Westing Game several years ago, and I really enjoyed it. It was wonderfully complex and the characters were simply delightful. (More on that later). So, I was actually quite excited to read Figgs and Phantoms.
Alas... Figgs just didn't work for me.. It was quite the disappointment. I started this book, not really knowing what to expect about the story itself, but looking forward to it, because I had so enjoyed The Westing Game. Sigh.
Figgs and Phantoms is about a family, The Figgs, who are all wildy quirky, except the youngest daughter/niece, Mona. She is decidedly normal, hates her family's weirdness, and is terribly embarrassed by what she believes the people of her town, Pineapple say about all those crazy Figgs.
I thought that Raskin was trying too hard with this novel, and as a result she missed the mark just about everywhere. Every single character has something weird, wacky, crazy, or unbelievable about them. All of them, except Mona. (She's just bitter about life and everything in it. Rather than make her quirky, I'd say she's just a teenager.) It got to be a little bit too much for me. Her mom, Sister Figg Newton (Newton being her married name) tap dances. All the time. Everywhere. Her uncle Truman, the human pretzel and sign maker (but horrible speller). And the list goes on and on and on. There was too much for me to believe it. Sometimes I'd look at the book and want to shout at the author- Enough already! I get it! They are weird. Can we move on please?!- Or something like that anyway...
The majority of the book focuses on Mona and her angst. I think it's supposed to be about her struggle to find her place in life, and accept her family as they are but it always just felt like angst to me, and not the good, realistic kind. Just the really annoying, get over yourself already type. Raskin makes hints about what she is supposed to be learning, and she gives us subtle clues here and there, but by that point, I was so fed up with Mona's whining and general annoying-ness that I didn't care. I just wanted the book to end. The only person Mona feels close to is her Uncle Florence. Everyone else is ridiculous, embarrassing and needs to just stop so that Mona can stop feeling embarrassed to go out in public. But, Uncle Florence is sick, and getting sicker.
The Figgs believe that when you die, you go to a place they call Capri. It's been written about in a journal passed down the family. The family meets together periodically for a night of reading from the family journals about Capri, a ritual they call 'Caprification'. Mona, or course, barely participates but when her uncle Florence dies (not really a spoiler, because it gives strong and obvious hints on the back cover) Mona knows she must find Capri so she can either bring her uncle back, or live with him in Capri. Even more weirdness ensues.
Nothing in this book was very believable to me. I had a hard time believing that much of what happened, and in the order or way they happened would be possible. Very often we were taken from point A to point F and just expected to believe that this was the natural progression of events, never mind the fact that we missed points B-E in the process.
On a positive note, I did enjoy several of the characters and their quirks, especially in the beginning. The secondary characters are often delightfully fun and I actually really enjoyed their time on the page. Truman's misspellings were fun (even one sign where he misspells his own name) and I especially liked the idea of Romulus and Remus Figg, the Walking Book of Knowledge and the Talking Adding Machine, respectively. I did wish the secondary characters had been more a part of the novel, and had been more fleshed out. I don't think I would have been as annoyed by the amount of quirks these characters had it they had also had more personality. But no. They were written as if their unique trait was all there was too them. It was how they were defined, described, and we didn't get to see any more than that. I do recognize that much of this is probably because that is how Mona sees them, but knowing why doesn't make it any less annoying.
All in all, I'd probably say this is one to skip. I don't know that I would really recommend it to very many people. I read it because I enjoyed The Westing Game, and because, as you (should) know, I'm trying to read the Newbery list. But, it's one I feel I could probably have done with out. There wasn't anything really special about it. The rating came really easy too. I finished the book, looked at it a moment, and then said- Meh.
Figgs and Phantoms by Ellen Raskin won the Nebery Honor in 1975. Four years later, she won the Newbery Award for The Westing Game. I read The Westing Game several years ago, and I really enjoyed it. It was wonderfully complex and the characters were simply delightful. (More on that later). So, I was actually quite excited to read Figgs and Phantoms.
Alas... Figgs just didn't work for me.. It was quite the disappointment. I started this book, not really knowing what to expect about the story itself, but looking forward to it, because I had so enjoyed The Westing Game. Sigh.
Figgs and Phantoms is about a family, The Figgs, who are all wildy quirky, except the youngest daughter/niece, Mona. She is decidedly normal, hates her family's weirdness, and is terribly embarrassed by what she believes the people of her town, Pineapple say about all those crazy Figgs.
I thought that Raskin was trying too hard with this novel, and as a result she missed the mark just about everywhere. Every single character has something weird, wacky, crazy, or unbelievable about them. All of them, except Mona. (She's just bitter about life and everything in it. Rather than make her quirky, I'd say she's just a teenager.) It got to be a little bit too much for me. Her mom, Sister Figg Newton (Newton being her married name) tap dances. All the time. Everywhere. Her uncle Truman, the human pretzel and sign maker (but horrible speller). And the list goes on and on and on. There was too much for me to believe it. Sometimes I'd look at the book and want to shout at the author- Enough already! I get it! They are weird. Can we move on please?!- Or something like that anyway...
The majority of the book focuses on Mona and her angst. I think it's supposed to be about her struggle to find her place in life, and accept her family as they are but it always just felt like angst to me, and not the good, realistic kind. Just the really annoying, get over yourself already type. Raskin makes hints about what she is supposed to be learning, and she gives us subtle clues here and there, but by that point, I was so fed up with Mona's whining and general annoying-ness that I didn't care. I just wanted the book to end. The only person Mona feels close to is her Uncle Florence. Everyone else is ridiculous, embarrassing and needs to just stop so that Mona can stop feeling embarrassed to go out in public. But, Uncle Florence is sick, and getting sicker.
The Figgs believe that when you die, you go to a place they call Capri. It's been written about in a journal passed down the family. The family meets together periodically for a night of reading from the family journals about Capri, a ritual they call 'Caprification'. Mona, or course, barely participates but when her uncle Florence dies (not really a spoiler, because it gives strong and obvious hints on the back cover) Mona knows she must find Capri so she can either bring her uncle back, or live with him in Capri. Even more weirdness ensues.
Nothing in this book was very believable to me. I had a hard time believing that much of what happened, and in the order or way they happened would be possible. Very often we were taken from point A to point F and just expected to believe that this was the natural progression of events, never mind the fact that we missed points B-E in the process.
On a positive note, I did enjoy several of the characters and their quirks, especially in the beginning. The secondary characters are often delightfully fun and I actually really enjoyed their time on the page. Truman's misspellings were fun (even one sign where he misspells his own name) and I especially liked the idea of Romulus and Remus Figg, the Walking Book of Knowledge and the Talking Adding Machine, respectively. I did wish the secondary characters had been more a part of the novel, and had been more fleshed out. I don't think I would have been as annoyed by the amount of quirks these characters had it they had also had more personality. But no. They were written as if their unique trait was all there was too them. It was how they were defined, described, and we didn't get to see any more than that. I do recognize that much of this is probably because that is how Mona sees them, but knowing why doesn't make it any less annoying.
All in all, I'd probably say this is one to skip. I don't know that I would really recommend it to very many people. I read it because I enjoyed The Westing Game, and because, as you (should) know, I'm trying to read the Newbery list. But, it's one I feel I could probably have done with out. There wasn't anything really special about it. The rating came really easy too. I finished the book, looked at it a moment, and then said- Meh.
May 14, 2013
Some critics have called it her masterpiece, yet there are reasons why it is less fondly remembered. A quick search of Goodreads shows readers who love it, hate it, and just think its weird. Much less accessible than her other mysteries, "Figgs and Phantoms" is a dark book that examines a lonely girls searching for a reason to live. A curious protagonist, Mona Figg is the youngest member of the extended Figg family, an eccentric group of former circus performers, book collectors, car salesmen, tap dancers, sign painters, and tour guides; all seen as “failures” by the town. Already desperately unhappy, tragedy strikes when her beloved uncle Florence Figg health begins to fail and he threatens to leave her for Capri. “What is Capri?” you ask? Well naturally that’s where the Figg Family believes they go after death. The question for much of the book is “what will Mona do if she believes he Uncle has left her?” Dark and mysterious, the book is propelled along in Raskin’s tight prose; it’s amazing how much she is able to put just 150 pages. Life, death, Joseph Conrad, Figgs (the fruit), along with Raskins signature word play. Recommended for sophisticated readers 10 and up. Although it may be a less straightforward “mystery,” it is perhaps her most ambitious work. Not recommended if your a new reader to Raskin, look to her other three novels for a good introduction. That being said, for the right reader, this one is special.
(I paraphrased an old blog post I wrote, which has more on Ellen Raskin and can be found here: http://lookingglasslibrarian.wordpres... )
(I paraphrased an old blog post I wrote, which has more on Ellen Raskin and can be found here: http://lookingglasslibrarian.wordpres... )
October 22, 2008
Figgs & Phantoms was and wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be quirky and funny, and it was. I didn't expect it to mention pornography or have a discussion about the highly-charged "N"-word. (And Raskin doesn't abbreviate it. However, the context is the main character's horror of it being used in the title of a Joseph Conrad novel.)
The book was whimsical and zany, but it managed to be more complex and grown-up than I expected--both silly and smart.
I also loved the typography. There are reproductions of signs, documents, asides of the townspeople interspersed with the regular text (like a Greek chorus), and artwork by the author on the part openers.
The book was whimsical and zany, but it managed to be more complex and grown-up than I expected--both silly and smart.
I also loved the typography. There are reproductions of signs, documents, asides of the townspeople interspersed with the regular text (like a Greek chorus), and artwork by the author on the part openers.
September 14, 2024
Figgs & Phantoms is more sophisticated than your average book for kids (or for adults, for that matter). There are the off-the-wall characters, like Figg and Newt Newton and Ebenezer Bargain, the owner of Bargain Books, living in the quirky town of Pineapple, but at the novel’s core is a teenager coming to terms with the grief of losing the only person she loves and respects, her uncle Florence. Layering in literary and musical references with a lump of philosophy, this Newbery Honor winner (now fifty years old!) is a bit of an enigma, but you get the feeling Raskin told the exact story she wanted to tell.
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March 19, 2014To say that I really like Ellen Raskin’s "The Westing Game" is an understatement. I adore that book. So when I got copies of two other Raskin books ("The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel)" and "Figgs and Phantoms") in a giveaway, I had great expectations…and while these other books exhibit her signature style (and illustrations), they are not in the same league.
While she lives in an eccentric world, Mona, daughter of Sister Figg Newton and Newton “Newt” Newton still deals with preadolescent difficulties. She is embarrassed and often annoyed by her zany parents. She feels that the only person who understands her is her uncle, Florence Figg.
Uncle Florence hints that he is soon to leave this world but Mona doesn’t want him to leave her with “a tap-dancer for a mother and an incompetent used-car dealer for a father.” The Figgs descend from circus performers and have their own personal heaven they call Capri. Mona finds her way there to search for her beloved uncle and readers can decide whether Mona is dreaming or if her spirit is actually in Capri when she passes out.
Each writer creates a world and Raskin creates peculiar ones with lots of clever wordplay where loving families are made up of eccentric characters—some related and some not. Children trying to figure themselves out in these books deal with sometimes immature adults—another hallmark of children’s literature. While there were a few slightly dated and/or not politically correct notions floating through "The Westing Game," Raskin’s earlier books exhibit even more of these themes. And at times the quirkiness and whimsy is a bit much.
Read more of my review on my booksploitation blog.
While she lives in an eccentric world, Mona, daughter of Sister Figg Newton and Newton “Newt” Newton still deals with preadolescent difficulties. She is embarrassed and often annoyed by her zany parents. She feels that the only person who understands her is her uncle, Florence Figg.
Uncle Florence hints that he is soon to leave this world but Mona doesn’t want him to leave her with “a tap-dancer for a mother and an incompetent used-car dealer for a father.” The Figgs descend from circus performers and have their own personal heaven they call Capri. Mona finds her way there to search for her beloved uncle and readers can decide whether Mona is dreaming or if her spirit is actually in Capri when she passes out.
Each writer creates a world and Raskin creates peculiar ones with lots of clever wordplay where loving families are made up of eccentric characters—some related and some not. Children trying to figure themselves out in these books deal with sometimes immature adults—another hallmark of children’s literature. While there were a few slightly dated and/or not politically correct notions floating through "The Westing Game," Raskin’s earlier books exhibit even more of these themes. And at times the quirkiness and whimsy is a bit much.
Read more of my review on my booksploitation blog.
January 8, 2023
This is a bizarre little book - a book focused around Mona Lisa Figg Newton, a teenager living in the town of Pineapple with her eccentric, eclectic and somewhat esoteric family. Her family includes her tap dancing mother, Sister Figg Newton, her uncles, Truman the Human Pretzel, Romulus the Walking Book of Knowledge, Remus the Talking Adding Machine, (Romulus and Remus are of course twins) and her cousin Fido the Second. The only family member Mona gets along with is her uncle Florence, a book dealer. A main concern of the characters is Capri, the Figg family heaven, which involves a ritual passed down through the Figg family for generations. Uncle Florence's greatest wish is to find his Capri. Mona's greatest fear is that her uncle will succeed and leave her alone.
While doing a children's literature course we were informed that this book was often used along with Tuck Everlasting in grief counseling. It deals with questions about what is real, what is reality and what is dream.
It also has string elements of learning to accept self, and growing into who we are to be. Also the acceptance of what we can change and what we cannot. What it really comes down to is learning to live and learning to love. Also it shows that books can be friends and support us in our alone times.
The book will teach about learning to dream, learning to live and ultimately learning to go beyond ourselves.
(First written as Journal Reading Notes in 1999.)
While doing a children's literature course we were informed that this book was often used along with Tuck Everlasting in grief counseling. It deals with questions about what is real, what is reality and what is dream.
It also has string elements of learning to accept self, and growing into who we are to be. Also the acceptance of what we can change and what we cannot. What it really comes down to is learning to live and learning to love. Also it shows that books can be friends and support us in our alone times.
The book will teach about learning to dream, learning to live and ultimately learning to go beyond ourselves.
(First written as Journal Reading Notes in 1999.)
January 1, 2024
Many teens feel stigmatized by their communities, but Mona Lisa Newton has more reason than most to think that the staid citizens of Pineapple gossip about her family, and her in particular. While her father was a high school football hero, her mother (and her uncles) were part of a travelling show that featured Mother and her brother Florence, now a bookseller, tap dancing. Florence is the only one that Mona finds understanding, and he is sick, maybe sick enough to go to Capri, where the Figg family believes you go when you die. When Florence does die, Mona wants to join him in Capri, and she becomes very sick. In her mind, she's on Capri, where she learns some things about living and loss. Some of the reviews of this book seem to complain that it is not stupid enough for kids to read..On the contrary--it is smart enough to teach something valuable to know.
September 26, 2017
Mona was miserable. You would be too if your family consisted of: Sister Figg Newton (Tap Dancer, Baton Twirler, and also your mother); Truman, the human pretzel (your uncle); Aunt Gracie Jo, the dog catcher, and her son, Fido the Second. To name a few. The only person Mona really gets along with is Uncle Florence, the book dealer. And he keeps hinting that he may have to leave Mona soon to go to Figg family heaven, a place referred to as "Capri." But where is Capri, and why do all the Figgs go there? To find her uncle, Mona knows she must find out.
April 25, 2024
This is a Newbery Honor book that would not be considered today. I felt like it dealt with a deep subject (grief) but there was too much punny humor in it to get the point across. The main families in the book were the Figgs and the Newtons, and it went downhill from there. The book is a quick read.
January 30, 2024
I read this as a kid, maybe in 4th grade, and have thought about it so much over the years that I re-read it. It was published in 1974 and is (I think) an influence on Labyrinth. It shares DNA with The Princess Bride, Pete and Pete, and Twin Peaks.
December 19, 2019
Oh why is Ellen Raskin such an incredible author with only 4 books! I can't quite put my finger on why I like her books so much when I don't like other people's books that are similar. It's just she can write about what is seemingly nonsense yet pull you into the story and make it real nonetheless.
Figgs and Phantoms was different than what I thought, altogether very peculiar. It reminded me very much of Meet the Robinsons with Mona's wild ex-circus family! Heck they even have twins in their family too! Anyways it started off a bit bizarre and then grew normal, or as normal as Raskin's books get, and then grew very bizarre as and then it went back to normal. What a ride! I thought the story as a whole was touching and real through all the bizarreness. Mona thinks the worst of everyone, thinking her town all hate her family when really that is not the case at all which she discovers. In just a short time we are able to get to know Mona as this smart and business minded girl who doesn't care to read but nonetheless loves books and is embarrassed by her family. And in just a short time we are able to see her change.
Also the names in this book are so great! The town of Pineapple, Mona Lisa, Figg Newton, they're just too great. And her illustrations are beautiful :)
(One thing I must add to my very random review is, I didn't understand why the heck Mona assumed the worst of Fido all the time??? I felt like we didn't have any context or explanation of why she would think that of him.)
Figgs and Phantoms was different than what I thought, altogether very peculiar. It reminded me very much of Meet the Robinsons with Mona's wild ex-circus family! Heck they even have twins in their family too! Anyways it started off a bit bizarre and then grew normal, or as normal as Raskin's books get, and then grew very bizarre as and then it went back to normal. What a ride! I thought the story as a whole was touching and real through all the bizarreness. Mona thinks the worst of everyone, thinking her town all hate her family when really that is not the case at all which she discovers. In just a short time we are able to get to know Mona as this smart and business minded girl who doesn't care to read but nonetheless loves books and is embarrassed by her family. And in just a short time we are able to see her change.
Also the names in this book are so great! The town of Pineapple, Mona Lisa, Figg Newton, they're just too great. And her illustrations are beautiful :)
(One thing I must add to my very random review is, I didn't understand why the heck Mona assumed the worst of Fido all the time??? I felt like we didn't have any context or explanation of why she would think that of him.)
January 4, 2018
I’m not sure if this review is going to be of this woefully overshadowed novel or of my own state of mind over the last 109 days. Death is all around us, obviously, and often a subject or theme in our works of art, but never are you more aware of it than after you have experienced a particularly painful loss in your own life. Since the death of my father, I’m pretty sure that every single thing I’ve read has engaged with a deeply significant death. And fathers, I’ve encountered dead fathers everywhere. Sadly, none have them have moved me forward in my grieving in the way I expected literature to do.
But Ellen Raskin, people. Will someone build a statue of Ellen Raskin in my front yard? Let’s put aside the perfect fact that one of the characters is named Florence Italy Figg. The way Raskin deals with death, the unbearable loss of a father, and the power of narrative to explain or even create life is as good in its context as Faulkner and Morrison, my all-time favorite geniuses, in theirs. I don’t even think this statement is my usual hyperbole (although I cannot lay claim to a sound mind right now). What was this Newbery winner the year this beautiful absurd masterpiece was only an Honor book?
But Ellen Raskin, people. Will someone build a statue of Ellen Raskin in my front yard? Let’s put aside the perfect fact that one of the characters is named Florence Italy Figg. The way Raskin deals with death, the unbearable loss of a father, and the power of narrative to explain or even create life is as good in its context as Faulkner and Morrison, my all-time favorite geniuses, in theirs. I don’t even think this statement is my usual hyperbole (although I cannot lay claim to a sound mind right now). What was this Newbery winner the year this beautiful absurd masterpiece was only an Honor book?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2018
Even for a mid-1970's YA novel, this book is weak on plot and sloppy in execution. There is also a lot of petty crime that goes on in this book that the reader is expected to approve of because the characters doing it are #quirky. Quirky in this context means they behave oddly, if not maniacally. There is a squicky teen cousin budding romance subtext amid the petty fraud that simply doesn't add to the story. Then there are the flights of fancy that take place on the Isle of Capri, which try for a landing in the sunny pastures of High Toned Jungian Allegory, but instead land deep in the Swamp of Confusing Nonsense Lifted from Art School Films. The main character is whiny and petulant, and her family are of the type who are defined by their eccentricity.
The humor is forced, the surrealist elements are banal, and the wordplay is infantile (Capricho (sp) = caprice, fantasy). Not recommended.
The humor is forced, the surrealist elements are banal, and the wordplay is infantile (Capricho (sp) = caprice, fantasy). Not recommended.
December 21, 2013
This is supposed to be a children's book, but it is really spooky and strange. The "funny" names that the characters were given would probably not be understood by children. It has a boy who's into pornography, and the author seems to think that's okay. The main character and her uncle are kind of dishonest. And then after the uncle dies, Mona has a dream or near-death experience that is totally weird. I have no idea what the object was in this book. Maybe the author was trying to tell children that when you die, you are happy.
I don't understand how this book was a Newbery Honor Book. I picked it up because of that award and also because I liked "The Westing Game." But I was totally disappointed with this book and feel that I wasted a couple of hours of my time. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to children--or to anyone else.
I don't understand how this book was a Newbery Honor Book. I picked it up because of that award and also because I liked "The Westing Game." But I was totally disappointed with this book and feel that I wasted a couple of hours of my time. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to children--or to anyone else.
March 17, 2012
I was interested in reading more of Raskin's books after reading The Westing Game and after reading reviews of other books my boys and I have been reading where people made comparisons to Raskin. I loved the first half--super quirky, weird characters (the main character's name is Mona Lisa Figg Newton. You gotta love that!) She comes from a crazy family of Vaudeville performers, every one with their own crazy names, quirks, and place in the community. There are all sorts of mysteries about all of them; you can't wait to find out the why's behind them. But for the most part, you never do.
The second half though more into a child's dealing wtih death. It goes from quirky weird, to just weird. Or a 70's acid trip. It just went downhill for me.
The second half though more into a child's dealing wtih death. It goes from quirky weird, to just weird. Or a 70's acid trip. It just went downhill for me.
July 22, 2008
I don't know. This was disappointing. I think of The Westing Game as a masterpiece and because this novel was published several years earlier, perhaps Raskin just hadn't really achieved full maturity as a writer yet.
I want to reread it as the beginning was very boring to me and I think I missed some important plot points, but the story was brimming with so many interesting ideas about books and what exactly they mean to different people (is it an escape? is it a business venture?) that just weren't developped fully and instead we were just given too much of the quirky and offbeat.
Grade: B-
I want to reread it as the beginning was very boring to me and I think I missed some important plot points, but the story was brimming with so many interesting ideas about books and what exactly they mean to different people (is it an escape? is it a business venture?) that just weren't developped fully and instead we were just given too much of the quirky and offbeat.
Grade: B-
July 29, 2008
This story speaks to generations of offbeat loners.
Written in clever way that doesn't patronize or belittle, exceptional children everywhere will identify with Mona and her life on the outside of mainstream society.
Read in the 4th grade, this has remained my all-time favorite book; I laugh, I cry, I find a kindred spirit each time I pick this up.
No, this story isn't for everyone.. I'd venture to say it's not the best fit for most people. But in the right hands, this book can be important in the shaping of a [unique:] child.
Written in clever way that doesn't patronize or belittle, exceptional children everywhere will identify with Mona and her life on the outside of mainstream society.
Read in the 4th grade, this has remained my all-time favorite book; I laugh, I cry, I find a kindred spirit each time I pick this up.
No, this story isn't for everyone.. I'd venture to say it's not the best fit for most people. But in the right hands, this book can be important in the shaping of a [unique:] child.
December 1, 2010
I am a huge Ellen Raskin fan and I love her books... except for this one. I haven't read it in a few years, but I remember definite feelings of dislike. It was really weird. The whole "Capri" thing was so... Oh, I don't know; it was just weird! We'll leave it at that.
Also, I would not call this a children's book. Especially since she mentioned (at least twice) that her cousin was obsessed with sex/porn.
There were enjoyable and humourous parts (it is Ellen Raskin after all!) but overall it was majorly disappointing.
Also, I would not call this a children's book. Especially since she mentioned (at least twice) that her cousin was obsessed with sex/porn.
There were enjoyable and humourous parts (it is Ellen Raskin after all!) but overall it was majorly disappointing.
April 10, 2009
And interesting novel in terms of its time period: it seems that Raskin was influenced by 70s psychedelia. I felt like the search for "Capri" was one long acid trip.
They mystery in this novel was very shallow...I kept looking for clues and was waiting for the solution to be revealed.
And as one reviewer pointed out, this book was not very funny. It seems somewhat incomplete, as though it was a first draft.
They mystery in this novel was very shallow...I kept looking for clues and was waiting for the solution to be revealed.
And as one reviewer pointed out, this book was not very funny. It seems somewhat incomplete, as though it was a first draft.
July 18, 2011
What a disappointment from Ellen Raskin! There is barely a message or purpose to the story. Three entire chapters are comprised of a weird dream that the main character has, with little significance. There are random references to porn & sex in relation to another character--totally unnecessary and stupid. The only thing I liked about it are the quirky side characters--like the tap dancing mother.
October 2, 2010
I first read this book when I was 8. It was the first time I can remember thinking that a real person wrote this fantastic story and, if they could, then I could write amazing stories, too. Perhaps goes without saying, but this is my favourite book. My mother hunted down a first edition with the Newberry Medal for me in 1986 when I was 10. If you've read the book, you know why that was/is so important. It is one of my treasures. I would grab it if my home caught fire. Really.
November 29, 2010
I could read Ellen Raskin every day of the year. I wrote her a letter when I was about 10 and she wrote me back, endearing me to her forever. Figgs & Phantoms isn't my favorite of her novels -- I'll always prefer "The Westing Game" and "The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel)", but this was the perfect book to polish off after Thanksgiving dinner.
November 17, 2020
This has always been my favorite book. The artwork inspired me to appreciate fonts and I've got the ampersand tattooed - and it's reverse- on my clavicle. This books means so much to me that we are opening a bookstore in our hometown called Caprichos Books because our idea of heaven is an old bookstore.
March 12, 2019
This book was just amazing and it absolutely touched my heart in that Jane Austen way for some reason, except it was nothing like Jane Austen at all. We all loved this book and the imagery, story, plight and wants roll over me again and again even long after the book has come to it's close. It is so strange how this authors mind works and I just loved it.
April 21, 2010
It's no The Westing Game (5 stars!), but any Raskin is worth a read. Mona's grief is real and sad and scary. The "dream" sequence in the second half of the book is a little much for me, but I can see how it would appeal to others.
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