Brilliant! There is a lot of story here that is similar to Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, revolving around her youthful battles with her headstrong (Brilliant! There is a lot of story here that is similar to Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, revolving around her youthful battles with her headstrong (possibly insane) adopted mother Mrs Winterson. However, the shockingly weird Dickensian-Religious childhood that Jeannette Winterson endured is endlessly interesting to read about and so it didn't bother me that I had read many of those episodes before in a different fictional incarnation. Here it feels more real as its not cut with the fairytale asides of Oranges. Although the stories themselves often have a weird fairytale feel to it ( - locked in the coal cellar by the evil step mother, hiding piles of books under the mattress etc.)
I was a bit disappointed that she skips over the middle of her life. The ending concerning the search and discovery of her adopted mother was moving and emotional. It was I think the main point of the book and you have to include the childhood suffering story, that also fostered her literary escape and obsession, in order to get to this cathartic ending. ...more
on audiobook - this was a very enjoyable gothic tale. A little too much wacky verbing of nouns maybe, but that style really does evoke a strong voice on audiobook - this was a very enjoyable gothic tale. A little too much wacky verbing of nouns maybe, but that style really does evoke a strong voice for Florence the 12yr old narrator. I was slightly disappointed that some of the mysteries are left unresolved at the end. Though the ending is pretty exciting and builds very well....more
It starts well with some very atmospheric scenes – the men on the train and Cole Hawkins magic show are particularly good, as are the trips to the forIt starts well with some very atmospheric scenes – the men on the train and Cole Hawkins magic show are particularly good, as are the trips to the fort – but as it goes on it has become very repetitive and convoluted. How many times do we have to have Kay 'go small' to spy on Abner talking to himself in exposition to reveal endless details of the non existent plot?
Stylistically it's dated - with Enid Blyton-y dialogue. The magic seems barely thought out and apart from a few good moments at the start is pretty mundane. The writing of the action ending is really bad and you barely get any sense of real geography or concrete quality to it. The deus ex machina has nothing to do with the main story or plot and the boy hero is basically a witness to events that do not require any action on his part. Also, The way the police and grown ups behave in response to the children going missing is totally unbelievable and though you might get away with it once - afterall grownups in kids books are always a little clueless - The fact everyone reacts this way as multiple characters are kidnapped in suspicious circumstances starts to stretch my credulity to the limit.
I see that Frank Cotrell Boyce is currently writing a film adaptation, I have fond memories of the TV version and I imagine either would be preferable to this very dated book....more
This is such a good children's book. The pirate characters are just brilliantly drawn, and their dialogue is just great - over the top and salted withThis is such a good children's book. The pirate characters are just brilliantly drawn, and their dialogue is just great - over the top and salted with pirate slang. Even the hero Jack Hawkins is interesting for a victorian child protagonist and he gets a lot of physical action and adventure - which in reality would be way beyond his age and ability - this must be the prototype for all children's adventure books that followed. Not only is the characterisation great but it is also brilliantly plotted and I am sure if you put it against the Hero's Journey model it would hit all the beats. I think, from memory of the movie versions (I recently saw treasure planet the animated version,) the plotting in the book seems more sophisticated, which is surprising too. It seems like they also stole whole chunks of its plot and characterisation for the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Altogether the archetype of children's and YA adventure and I think it would stand up well to any modern competitors....more
I love Calvino and I loved this book, it's magical. So much imagination is on display in the descriptions of the many different cities.I love Calvino and I loved this book, it's magical. So much imagination is on display in the descriptions of the many different cities....more
A really good popular history about The Turk - The chess playing automaton. It briefly takes in other automatons and historical figures of contemporarA really good popular history about The Turk - The chess playing automaton. It briefly takes in other automatons and historical figures of contemporary to the period. Plus a chapter on Deep blue vs Kaparov at the end. A great companion piece to Living Dolls by Gaby Wood - which is a more general overview of the history of Automatons....more
Beautiful collaged artwork, a bitter sweet, story, and some recipes which I don't think I'll dare try and cook. Beautiful collaged artwork, a bitter sweet, story, and some recipes which I don't think I'll dare try and cook. ...more
**spoiler alert** I reread this recently for the first time since childhood. Having just read His Dark Materials, I wanted to compare the two sagas. I**spoiler alert** I reread this recently for the first time since childhood. Having just read His Dark Materials, I wanted to compare the two sagas. I think His Dark Materials is Phillip Pullman trying to write a similar, but less overtly Christian kind of fantasy. Though some elements of his story seem to be similar to Narnia. I was very interested to see that in The Magicians Nephew the rings that allowed the children to jump between worlds were made of *dust* with magical properties from another world. The wood between worlds and the jumping into puddles between worlds is also a brilliant sequence and image. I think it must have been a strong influence on the fictional multiverses of His Dark Materials.
On the Magicians Nephew itself, I find the writing style very dated now. The first chapters are a little clunky too and the way characters speak is in Enid Blyton Cliche is sometimes grating. The middle section with the meeting of the White Witch and the jumping between worlds is brilliantly done and I remember being very scared by her character as a kid, she is a great villain.
Aslan is sanctimonious and boring and I hate all the tedious religious allegory of the second half of the book. I especially hate the way that Diggory has to apologise for bringing the witch or evil /original sin into the perfect world of Narnia, as if she and the random events that have brought her there are somehow his responsibility.
I also hate the typical British assumption that the best and God/Aslan given way for society to be set up is that we are ruled over by Kings and Queens and gosh aren't those nasty cockneys lucky to get to be Kings and Queens in this new place. Look how the Royalty bestowed on them by God makes them better people than they were as commoners. I guess the royalty in Narnia is somewhat metaphorical but it also smacks of a Church of England status quo. ...more
I just reread this for the first time since childhood. It's a very funny and well written children's book, which again covers family relationships in I just reread this for the first time since childhood. It's a very funny and well written children's book, which again covers family relationships in a fantastical world of magic that exists in tandem with our own. Diana Wynne Jones' writing is beautiful, simple and witty and a love of her characters and their world comes across strongly....more
**spoiler alert** The character of Oliver is a bland and tedious milquetoast as are the Maylies but the villains are broad grotesques of pure genius. **spoiler alert** The character of Oliver is a bland and tedious milquetoast as are the Maylies but the villains are broad grotesques of pure genius. Mr Bumble, Bill Sikes, Fagin, Nancy, Dodger and even Master Bates ( I wondered if this was a purposeful joke or not?) are such memorable characters. The story is a rags to riches tale about a pure hearted orphan who escapes both the drudgery of the workhouse and a life of crime, by the lucky coincidence of being related to some good hearted toffs (and one evil one, who tries to thwart him.) The writing style seems much broader than Copperfield or Great Expectations and I think this is an earlier book? The book is very antisemitic with Fagin referred to in very derogatory terms and always called The Jew rather than his name. The few other Jewish characters that appear are also villainous criminals and their ethnicity is always specifically referenced unlike the other characters.
The parts that I thought were amazing were - the sequence where Bill Sykes takes Oliver to do the Robbery, The scenes between Fagin, Bill and Nancy. The scene between the Bumbles and Monks. The ending where Bill commits the murder and goes on the run, plus his Frankenstein style end. During all these scenes there is so much juicy, grotty, rotten description of the scenery, speech and characters of the London underworld that you can almost smell the air and feel the ambience of the places.
Not so good are the scenes with Oliver and the Maylies. These are tedious in the extreme and you can tell that Dickens relishes writing the villains more than he does the heroes. A (near) end chapter which reads like the explanation of a detective novel I also found rather weak and unconvincing. Particularly Monks sudden need to confess all to Mr Brownlow and co when he is not even in court or being taken down by the crushers! Also Fagin's court appearance where we switch to his internal monologue for a chapter jarred against the style of the rest of the story....more
Good, and well written, but a lot of the stories are very familiar from other Hollywood books. Almost the whole time I felt like I had read the book bGood, and well written, but a lot of the stories are very familiar from other Hollywood books. Almost the whole time I felt like I had read the book before....more
I really love the way Ted Hughes writes here. The way he turns a phrase and builds sentences and words in poetic rhythms. I remember very vividly readiI really love the way Ted Hughes writes here. The way he turns a phrase and builds sentences and words in poetic rhythms. I remember very vividly reading this book as young boy around 8 or 9 too.
I re-read this for the first time since childhood recently. The last two chapters with the angel-space-bat are not nearly as good as the opening section IMHO, and seem very like something from a Godzilla movie. So I can see why the story was changed in the movie.
I love the structure of it though - of five very separate chapters and the subtitle: a story told over five nights, which makes clear this is a bedtime story to meant to be read aloud to children....more
I liked the writing style and the story. Its atmospheric and engaging. The plot did start to get a bit repetitive at some points but I guess this is bI liked the writing style and the story. Its atmospheric and engaging. The plot did start to get a bit repetitive at some points but I guess this is because the book only really has three or four main characters. Overall a gripping and interesting historical/fantasy story for Young Adults with a few steam punky elements mixed into its medieval setting....more
The book is a beautiful magically written children's story and I think if I had read this book when I was eleven I would have fallen in love with it. The book is a beautiful magically written children's story and I think if I had read this book when I was eleven I would have fallen in love with it. It reminded me of the short story "The Old Man with Incredibly Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marques – which I imagine was a strong influence. As was William Blake and Greek mythology.
I felt that the character of Skellig could have been used a bit more. I understand he has to remain the man of mystery in the novel, but he was so brilliantly drawn at the beginning and in his various sequences that I wish there had been a few more moments with him....more
What I found surprising about the book was how much of a modern teenager Anne was. I don't know why this surprised me given that if she were alive todWhat I found surprising about the book was how much of a modern teenager Anne was. I don't know why this surprised me given that if she were alive today she would probably be only a decade and a half or so older than my parents. The diary is so personal and teenagery, with such detail about the day to day life of the characters and Anne's shifting feelings about them. Yet at the same time she is aware, and so is the reader, that they are living through these extraordinary and dangerous circumstances. She gives details of the allied invasion on one page and then what she had for dinner or how she is feeling on another and as a result the diary brings you so personally close to that period of history. After a few years of documenting the Franks and the Van Dan's life in hiding the diary just ends. I found the afterword which describes the fates of all the characters and the legacy of Anne's diary very moving and sad....more
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