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368th out of 428 books
—
52 voters
The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio
A beautiful Kirkassi girl, cold-eyed villains and smiling killers, a bazaar merchant peddling slightly used dreams—could any young adventurer ask for more? Not Carlo Chuchio, who is seeking hidden treasure on the legendary Road of Golden Dreams.
With Baksheesh, the world’s worst camel-puller, Carlo leads a caravan through the realm of Keshavar. Robbed of all but his underdr...more
With Baksheesh, the world’s worst camel-puller, Carlo leads a caravan through the realm of Keshavar. Robbed of all but his underdr...more
Hardcover, 306 pages
Published
August 7th 2007
by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
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This is a very nice young readers book about a young man who is given a book with a secret map inside by a bookseller who then myteriously disappears. The young man, Carlo Chuchio, heads off to find the treasure marked on the map, picking up along the way the world's worst camel-puller who finds an excuse whenever work comes around to get out of, an ex-scholar who is learning in the "classroom of the world" and who finds everything fascinating, and a young woman Carlo, of course, falls in love w...more
Mar 27, 2009
Elizabeth McDonald
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Lloyd Alexander fans, folks looking for an adventure-filled bedtime read-aloud
I can't help but compare this book to Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, since the plot involves a boy following his dream and looking for hidden treasure in the desert, falling in love along the way. The covers of certain editions even look similar to me. The tone, however, is quite different: while Coelho's book constantly waxes philosophical, Alexander's is more lighthearted and geared toward children. Like many an Alexander novel, there is a cast of quirky characters, including the indecisive her...more
I recently read The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio (2007), Lloyd Alexander's last book, assuming no further posthumous publications are on the way. The Golden Dream was not on my ever-growing list of books to read, but the gold and blue spine--think Morocco--shouts for attention on a library shelf. The cover artist and designer deserve some serious praise. I'm glad I read it and recommend it to anyone looking for a good story.
Like many of Alexander's stories, The Golden Dream records a road trip....more
Like many of Alexander's stories, The Golden Dream records a road trip....more
This book is a decent example of Alexander's general body of work: quirky but good-hearted characters in a rich, mystical setting; fast-paced plot and clever dialogue; a long and daunting journey filled with bad guys and good guys and guys that seemed like one but turned out to be the other; gentle romance between our hero and the brave, feisty female with whom he feels himself a fool, while she sees the good in him and loves him back.
The most unique and beautiful thing about this book was the c...more
The most unique and beautiful thing about this book was the c...more
Carlo Chuchio is a day dreamer who can never quite please his merchant uncle. In the market he find a storyteller who gives him a book of tales. Rather than working, he sits hidden away and reads the fanciful tales. In the spine of the book he finds an old map that he believes will lead him to untold treasure. Frustrated, his uncle kicks him out of his employ and his house and Carlo goes in search of the treasure along the “Road of Golden Dreams”. Along the way he meets interesting characters wh...more
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Not Alexander's strongest work, which is understandable, considering that it was written at the very end of his life and published posthumously. All Alexander's characteristic, much-loved devices are here - the exotic setting, the feckless dreaming boy going off on a mad quest, the eccentric supporting character, the fiery and wounded love interest, the half-mad sage - but they have lost some of their resonance and freshness, despite the fact that, in a dozen previous books he managed to keep th...more
This is my first book by Lloyd Alexander, and I enjoyed it enough. It was a younger read than I expected and the love seemed childish at best, but it made me smile.
Everything was told in a very light-hearted and humorous manner through the eyes of the main character, Carlo Chuchio. While Carlo was a decent character, innocent and clueless enough so as to get himself into a lot of trouble, I did not find him overly intriguing or engaging. The same could be said with the girl he traveled with (and...more
Everything was told in a very light-hearted and humorous manner through the eyes of the main character, Carlo Chuchio. While Carlo was a decent character, innocent and clueless enough so as to get himself into a lot of trouble, I did not find him overly intriguing or engaging. The same could be said with the girl he traveled with (and...more
Jan 18, 2008
Jenny
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Young teens to adults who don't mind reading teenage type books
Recommended to Jenny by:
Found it myself
Lloyd Alexanders last book before his death. I have been a fan of his books for years, and happened across it at the Library. It's just like his other books in some ways. Young man goes off to seek adventure or money, and meets some very interesting characters on the journaey. Usually there is a surprise ending! I really liked it, and want to start a collection of his books on my bookshelves.
May 13, 2008
June
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fantasy and Lloyd Alexander fans
Shelves:
fantasy
I got into Lloyd Alexander when I was in 5th grade and my Mother began reading me the Prydain series. (It is still one of my favorites and I enjoy it much more than Narnia) This is quick read and quite enjoyable, but not as great as Prydain.
This is the first book of Alexander's that I've read that wasn't part of The Chronicles of Prydain. I was in the mood for something enjoyable, but not too demanding, and this book was perfect for that. It's a fairly straightforward adventure story about a boy who heads East in search of treasure, based on a map he found in an old book. Along the way he picks up some quirky companions, and there's plenty of peril, all ending in a battle against a sinister villain. It reminded me quite strongly of...more
I know this is sacrilege for a librarian, but I find Lloyd Alexander dead boring, and this book was no exception. I'd love to hear from kids who think differently, especially about this particular book. boring boring boring
2 likes · like · see review
Lloyd Alexander tells a good tale. This one's set in an Arabian Knights fantasy world with deserts and mountains, souks and Bedouin (by a different name, of course). The protagonist's no Aladdin, however. He's a dreamer who loses his job and is forced to live by his wits, which aren't in evidence for awhile. He finds a map to a fabulous treasure--and decided, predictably, to journey after it. His innocence doesn't last long. He collects a series of friends and advisors who help him along the way...more
Lloyd Alexander is a wonderful storyteller and this YA novel is no exception. The story itself is familiar enough--a journey that begins as a search for treasure, the accumulation of travelling companions, each with their own perspective and agenda. The humanity and individuality Alexander gives his characters, mostly through dialogue as the tale is told through Carlo Chuchio's first-person voice, is what makes the story warm and rich. As with his Chronicles of Pydrain series, I am left wanting...more
If I could award 2-1/2 stars, that's what this one would get. I listened to this one as an audio book, so maybe it was the reading that bothered me more than the book itself. I'm not sure.
This one would make a great discussion on what makes a good leader, but the story itself didn't grip me as much as others by Alexander. I did finish it; so it was intriguing enough to want to know what would happen next and not get discarded into the "abandoned books" pile. It has a good message, and the main...more
This one would make a great discussion on what makes a good leader, but the story itself didn't grip me as much as others by Alexander. I did finish it; so it was intriguing enough to want to know what would happen next and not get discarded into the "abandoned books" pile. It has a good message, and the main...more
I can never resist a book by Lloyd Alexander. I started this with Sam, but after a chapter dealing with human trafficking I decided I'd better read ahead a bit. Probably because I have read many books by Alexander, and most of these multiple times, the plot and characters were VERY familiar and predictable, and perhaps because I left the target age range for this book more than twenty years ago, it also lacked much if the charm and freshness of Akexander's earlier works. I still read it in only...more
I'm doing some closet purging, and I found this book. I'm not a book owner--most of the books I read come from the library. This book was passed on to me by a teacher friend who couldn't get into it, and I kept it because it is a classic quest story. An excellent selection for middle school boy (or girl) readers. Not only that, it was Lloyd Alexander's posthumously published last book. If you've read Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, you might like this young adult version.....and it's now out of my...more
Sep 10, 2010
Terence
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
YAs and their parents
Shelves:
sf-fantasy,
for-the-younger-generation
Like The Iron Ring, which I reviewed here, The Golden Dream is a lucid, well written, sprightly tale about a young man, his true love, a mischievous companion and a wise teacher who take the symbolic journey from childhood to adulthood, from ignorance to wisdom.
In this case, the journey takes place in an alternate Earth that's never fleshed out. Carlo Chuchio, our hero, starts out in Magenta, which may (it's never clear) be a city on the island of Sicily. He is expelled from Magenta by his uncle...more
In this case, the journey takes place in an alternate Earth that's never fleshed out. Carlo Chuchio, our hero, starts out in Magenta, which may (it's never clear) be a city on the island of Sicily. He is expelled from Magenta by his uncle...more
I chose to read THE GOLDEN DREAM OF CARLO CHUCHIO, because I have adored much of Lloyd Alexander's work over the years. It seemed only fitting to read his last work.
Carlo discovers a hidden map of riches in a book purchased from a mysterious merchant at the local market. With the map in hand, Carlo decides to go on a grand adventure in order to locate the treasure. Along the way, he meets many unusual characters, including a servant that doesn't seem to do much work and a mysterious girl.
CARLO...more
Carlo discovers a hidden map of riches in a book purchased from a mysterious merchant at the local market. With the map in hand, Carlo decides to go on a grand adventure in order to locate the treasure. Along the way, he meets many unusual characters, including a servant that doesn't seem to do much work and a mysterious girl.
CARLO...more
Nov 14, 2008
Felicity
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
In the words of the introduction, "For young dreamers, and old ones."
I give this five stars under its influence. Only time will tell if it lives up to them, by growing in my mind or drawing me back to re-read.
I have always loved Lloyd Alexander's writing, and this, his last book, seems to stand among his greater works. Golden Dream has the inimitable style, the ragtag companions and the innocent romance that characterize Lloyd Alexander in general, but it also has a thread of deeper meaning and seeking that is characteristic of my favorite Alexander works, the Ch...more
I have always loved Lloyd Alexander's writing, and this, his last book, seems to stand among his greater works. Golden Dream has the inimitable style, the ragtag companions and the innocent romance that characterize Lloyd Alexander in general, but it also has a thread of deeper meaning and seeking that is characteristic of my favorite Alexander works, the Ch...more
The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio is an adventure and coming-of-age quest where the journey, the lessons learned, and the people encountered, are more important than the original reason for the quest. Along the way, Carlo meets Baksheesh, a camel-puller who spends more time complaining and riding the camel than pulling; Shira, a girl who is determined to make it home again and find out what happened to her family; and Salamon, a wise scholar who is good with animals and enjoys the journey no mat...more
This is the last novel of Lloyd Alexander, author of The Chronicles of Prydain. I was both excited and worried about reading this book. I loved the Chronicles of Prydain as a kid, but was afraid this book would be awful in comparison. Thankfully, this was not the case.
This story is about a young man named Carlo Chuchio, a character who is not as appealing as that lovable assistant pig-keeper Taran, but still interesting nonetheless. Carlo "the chooch" sets off on an adventure seeking great trea...more
This story is about a young man named Carlo Chuchio, a character who is not as appealing as that lovable assistant pig-keeper Taran, but still interesting nonetheless. Carlo "the chooch" sets off on an adventure seeking great trea...more
This book is truly a wonder. It is the finest work of Lloyd Alexander, and that's saying something. The narrator speaks with a voice that is both entirely his own and yet utterly relatable. From page to page the tone shifts from wide-eyed adventure, to light-hearted humor, to profound melancholy. Any reader, of any age, who who enjoys being swept along on an exotic adventure should pick up this book and prepare to bond with the characters like they are your closest of friends.
Delightful! Fun characters, plenty of action, and some fun gems of wisdom. I was thinking about including this in a reading contest for 6th and 7th graders, but some of the book's charm may be lost on that age group as part of a school-wide reading contest, even if it is appropriate enough. Anyway, the book can certainly be enjoyed by many young readers and adults as well. This was the first Lloyd Alexander book I've read, but it certainly won't be my last.
I was a bit disappointed because Lloyd Alexander is one of my all-time favorite authors, but I thought this was too gory, especially for a kids. The beginning was hilarious and then... I thought it kinda went down-hill from there, but I still think it's worth reading since it's his last book and he wrote it the year he died. Isn't that amazing? Lloyd Alexander is amazing. I still love him even though I don't love this book.
A review from my old blog...
Wow. Another excellent Lloyd Alexander book. I have to confess that I am writing this review a week after I read the book so I am a bit more fuzzy on the details than if I had written immediately post-read.
I remember eagerly scanning the shelves of the little library in my junior high for ever Alexander book that I could find. I have to admit that a few of Alexander's character names made their way into my own story that I wrote that year.
This book tells the journey o...more
Wow. Another excellent Lloyd Alexander book. I have to confess that I am writing this review a week after I read the book so I am a bit more fuzzy on the details than if I had written immediately post-read.
I remember eagerly scanning the shelves of the little library in my junior high for ever Alexander book that I could find. I have to admit that a few of Alexander's character names made their way into my own story that I wrote that year.
This book tells the journey o...more
Carlo is off to find treasure marked on a map he has discovered in an old book. After crossing a raging sea, Carlo and his lazy camel puller, Baksheesh, along with a young woman, Shira, and a wise man, Salamon, travel the dangerous Road of Golden Dreams through an Arabian Nights style Middle East. The characters and plot are what we would expect from the late master storyteller Lloyd Alexander.
Carlo is a daydreaming boy who is thrown out by his merchant uncle after he finds a treasure map. Carlo's journey follows the Golden Path through bandits, battles, deserts, and more. Carlo befriends Bakshesh, a useless camel puller, a girl Shira, who he first meets disgused as a boy, and Soloman the wandering wise man. Together they may make it to the treasure.
The book was good, it seemed kind of distant, like the plot was far away from the reader, sort of eluding. Also, I figured the climax of the entire book was the part where Carlo was supposed to fight the bad guy (not telling who), but it seemed really short and boring. It was an OK book and is enjoyable to people who like long journeys and interesting characters.
Lloyd Alexander is one of my all-time favorite authors. This final book (published after his death) takes all the usual adventures and character types to an exotic Arabian fairy land. The last few chapters, where Carlo Chooch waxes eloquent about the nature and purpose of adventure, life, and story, are worth copying down.
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Lloyd Chudley Alexander (January 30, 1924 - May 17, 2007) was an influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books. His most famous contribution to the field of children's literature is the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. The concluding book of the series, The High King, was awarded the Newbery Medal i...more
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“I only suggest to you: Will you dwell on killing this man? You wish for revenge? If you do, he has already killed you by slow poison. So, let it go. Why waste your time? His life will see to his death.”
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May 14, 2008 06:22am