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194th out of 786 books
—
741 voters
Tanglewreck
Something frightening is happening with time. One moment, a time tornado rages through the streets of London, and those caught up in its path vanish without a trace. The next moment a woolly mammoth is seen lumbering along the banks of the River Thames. At the center of these bizarre time warps is a house called Tanglewreck, which is home to eleven-year-old Silver, her bon...more
Hardcover, 415 pages
Published
June 27th 2006
by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
(first published January 1st 2006)
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Nancy Pearl suggested this on NPR. Noticed it in the Greenpt Library and after putting back all the other books, except for the one I had reserved, because I have enough reading at home and dont need any more books. I grabbed it on my way out. Obvious elements of the Golden Compass (precocious young orphan child with a desirable magical toy that only she can operate, her daemon is her house, Tanglewreck, traveling through space and time, evil parental figures, male BFF she has to rescue...) + Ne...more
This British fantasy has a common theme- time travel. However, it isn't your normal time-travel book. Actually, it's a convoluted story of the present, past, and the future mixed in with parallel worlds and places. The action jumps around just too much. Tanglewreck is an old manor house in England. The eleven year-old girl who lives there, Silver, sets out to find her family, missing in a time tornado. Her father was taking a clock, known as the Timekeeper, to a man in England. The clock had bee...more
I had such high hopes for this book. It had a female main character, which can be hard to come by in science-fiction, and started out with a very interesting and engaging premise. But, after about Chapter 2 it all just deteriorated. It was bogged down in technical, scientific, and existentialist theories that were akin to reading a theoretical physics text book. And although those concepts are very interesting and could make a great story if done well, they were not weaved well enough into this...more
This tale is spellbinding! Readers will relish not only the action and the well-crafted settings but all the details which makes for scenes of great power. "My name is Silver and I have lived at Tanglewreck all of my life, which is to say, eleven years" before frightening events begin to occur with time. Time Tornados rush through the streets of London and those in the path vanish without a trace, to sometimes reappear in a Parallel Universe. A woolly mammoth is seen roaming the banks of the Tha...more
Nyeh. This started fairly promising as a charming children's fantasy about the value of time, in the "scrappy orphan saves the world" tradition, but then quickly derailed into a poorly paced hodgepodge of familiar concepts previously better employed by other writers (Michael Ende's "Momo", Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time" and Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere" especially come to mind). The characters remain pretty flat throughout, there is far too much telling-not-showing (really, you can't find...more
Strange events are happening in London; a chariot appears, a school bus disappears, and time becomes distorted. The fabric of time is starting to rip as Time Tornadoes and Time Traps are creating havoc and people do not know whom to turn to for help. Our reluctant heroin Silver is eleven years old when she is flung into the role of protecting the Timekeeper. But the Timekeeper is wanted by many. The creepy Abel Darkwater has been patiently waiting for his opportunity, the beautiful Regalia Mason...more
It hurts me to give this book only two stars, since I love Jeanette Winterson's adult novels. Tanglewreck has some nice moments and it picks up in the second half, but overall it fell a bit flat for me. Winterson does too much explaining, and I wonder if that's because this is a children's (or young adult? not sure) book. For example, the cat Dinger who exists in a quantum state in which he is both alive and dead. You can't tell which he'll be until you open his box. This is a charming and funny...more
I'll admit, at first, I was skeptical. I wasn't sure what Winterson would be like, when it comes to writing for a young teen. Added to that worry was the fact that the main character of Tanglewreck is Silver, which is also the name of the protagonist in her novel Lighthousekeeping, the first book by Winterson I ever read, and thus the one I associate with her.
I needn't have worried.
Winterson tangles up and teases out a story about Time, what it would be to control Time, what kind of concept it...more
I needn't have worried.
Winterson tangles up and teases out a story about Time, what it would be to control Time, what kind of concept it...more
Oct 06, 2012
Xerxessia
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kinderbuch,
utopien-weiblich
Schreckliche Übersetzung einer wahrscheinlich ansonsten guten Geschichte.
Die Übersetzerin macht alle Fehler, die es so gibt, Bilder stimmen nicht, Fälle und Bezüge stimmen nicht. Die Lektorin hat da wohl auch versagt. Nur ein paar Beispiele:
"Sie versteckte die Nadel in ihrem Schlüpfer, schlüpfte wieder die Treppe hinunter..." (S. 98) - das lernt doch jedes Kind schon, dass gleiche Wörter nicht zweimal hintereinander stehen sollten.
"Der Zeittornado schlug ein.." (S. 100) - Tornados schlagen nich...more
Die Übersetzerin macht alle Fehler, die es so gibt, Bilder stimmen nicht, Fälle und Bezüge stimmen nicht. Die Lektorin hat da wohl auch versagt. Nur ein paar Beispiele:
"Sie versteckte die Nadel in ihrem Schlüpfer, schlüpfte wieder die Treppe hinunter..." (S. 98) - das lernt doch jedes Kind schon, dass gleiche Wörter nicht zweimal hintereinander stehen sollten.
"Der Zeittornado schlug ein.." (S. 100) - Tornados schlagen nich...more
I've read several of Jeanette Winterson's books for adults, but while I love the language and find magic in them, I'm not exactly a fan of hers. I wasn't sure what to expect from a children's book by her, or YA, or whatever age group it's meant to be aimed at. But actually, I did enjoy it quite a lot: it's recognisably her work, with the structure and the use of language and other idiosyncrasies of hers, but it's also much easier to relax into. The plot is more linear, the narration less whimsic...more
Eleven year old orphan, Silver Rivers, and her uncaring Aunt, Mrs Rokabye, live at Tanglewreck a run down country house that once belonged to Silver's father. In nearby London time tornadoes are sweeping the city, dragging people into the past and throwing the past into the present. Only one thing can stop the disintegration of time: the Timekeeper, an ancient broken clock that was once owned by Silver's father. Silver must find the clock and repair it before it is discovered by the villainous A...more
I'd be curious to really look into the release dates for this book and for Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass" because there were some REALLY major similarities.... particularly that it's about a girl who must carry around a time mechanism with intricate images and symbols upon it. And she makes friends with talking animals that she can ride and also with a boy from another world. Hmmm.
This book wasn't as in depth as Pullman's, but as a fan of Jeanette's work, it was really interesting to read...more
This book wasn't as in depth as Pullman's, but as a fan of Jeanette's work, it was really interesting to read...more
Apr 04, 2012
Sally Whitehead
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2012
What a fantastic, unexpected find. I'm a fan of Winterson and hadn't realised she'd written for a younger audience until I came across a hardback copy of "Tanglewreck" in the local library.
As you'd expect from Winterson though, this isn't an "easy" kid's read. Along with great characterisation, a perfectly paced plot filled with adventure, and an excellent balance of humour and excitement, it also takes us on a journey through time and space and brings into question theories regarding quantum m...more
As you'd expect from Winterson though, this isn't an "easy" kid's read. Along with great characterisation, a perfectly paced plot filled with adventure, and an excellent balance of humour and excitement, it also takes us on a journey through time and space and brings into question theories regarding quantum m...more
While intended for a younger reader I won't deny that Winterson's appeal can transcend age. Lyrical and inventive she connects a bit of history into a wealth of imagination leaving the reader in a state of amazement. While I can't say I would have selected this book without accident I'm glad I read it. It has the cross generational appeal of the Harry Potter series without the necessity to read an entire series. Short but sweet. A nice light read.
Another thing is it has a good protagonist. I vie...more
Another thing is it has a good protagonist. I vie...more
I believe this to be Jeanette Winterson's first attempt at YA fiction. I enjoyed this book immensely, especially something she said about an evil adult female who was kind the way people who don't really care about you can be kind. This aspect reminded me of P. Pullman's Dark Materials/Matter series. But I enjoyed the tour through horology (history of time/clocks). Our time is perceptably rationed- something that doesn't happen in childhood when summer seems endless, as well as math classes. The...more
I really enjoyed the use of modern science in this story. Sure, what the author did with it doesn't quite match reality as well know it, but it was interesting to see how it was used.
I really picked this book up as a potential read-aloud and then, when I was getting onto a plane, I found myself with this book in my bag instead of the one stored next to it. Oops! I do think this would be a great read-aloud, with a variety of moods, lots to discuss, characters who are mysterious all the way throu...more
I really picked this book up as a potential read-aloud and then, when I was getting onto a plane, I found myself with this book in my bag instead of the one stored next to it. Oops! I do think this would be a great read-aloud, with a variety of moods, lots to discuss, characters who are mysterious all the way throu...more
This sort of vaguely reminded me of Garth Nix's "Keys to the Kingdom" series. Largely, I think, because it had the same feeling of good ideas being wasted.
The book has lots of interesting stuff about time, and a cool house that the heroine can talk to (and get responses from), and a lostMaguffintimepiece that the heroine has to find before the bad guys do, and missing parents, and an evil guardian (with sentient rabbit), and a pair of thugs, and people living under London, and...and...and too m...more
The book has lots of interesting stuff about time, and a cool house that the heroine can talk to (and get responses from), and a lost
This one really didn't do it for me. The characters seemed underdeveloped, the plot was confusing to me and didn't really move forward that much. Too many things ended up being explained "just because that's the way things are" (I know this can work with some books, but in this one I felt like the elements were introduced for convenience's sake). I felt like so many plot elements were introduced, and then not very many of them were followed to the finish of the story...leaving so many things una...more
Dearly love Winterson's writing, and I enjoyed this foray into writing for children. She created characters that I cared about, but the story itself was a bit of a tangle! I had read the follow-up book,Battle for the Sun,before I read this one and found it a better story with a cleaner plot. This time travel adventure was complex and scientific-sounding, but it strained credibility--there were inconsistencies in how the various methods of travel worked--but that it worked the way it did, made th...more
At the start of this book, I was prepared to be blown away. The tone was so interesting, the writing was so fantastic and it seemed like like a good solid tight story. I was charmed by the whimsical way the writer randomly inserted previously unknown truths into the story to explain occurrences that had no explanation up until that point. Suddenly characters can read minds. Why? Just because they can. Okay, fine.
Somewhere along the line, the story got sloppy. The quirks started picking up speed...more
Somewhere along the line, the story got sloppy. The quirks started picking up speed...more
Have only read Jeanette Winterson in adult mode, so this audio tape version of her junior/teenage novel was a good introduction to her skills in this area too. Silver has been orphaned and left to live in the family home of Tanglewreck with her mean Aunt, Mrs Rokabye. She realises that the fabric of the world and of time is in trouble when mysterious events begin happening, from tornadoes, to people from the past appearing in modern day London, and when whole cities begin to disappear. According...more
time and physics (last one lighthouses – we like the same things? Or share the same popular tastes?). She uses her usual style. Reads like a children’s tale for adults because of the simple language and young girl protagonist, but not as interesting as other children’s tales for adults like Alice in Wonderland. Characters are well drawn but not complex. The plot is intricate and interesting. It is fast moving and plot driven. Has an optimistic ending. Goes into the future. An evil man and woman...more
This book transfixed me when I read it several years ago. I like it so much that I'm surprised it doesn't have more stars (usually I'm like, ok, different strokes for different folks). Maybe because I read it as an adult with no intention of reading it to a child? In any case, it is absolutely gripping, it kept me reading at a feverish pace, even as it gave me plenty of gorgeous, chewy description. The house, "Tanglewreck," is so perfectly described that it is built in my mind and will always st...more
I wanted to really like this one. And I did really like the parts where Silver was at Tanglewreck. Also when the 2 hoodlums get captured by Tanglewreck. But once Silver went off to London, and to places elsewhere, I got lost. The whole time thing was confusing to me, and I generally like science fiction. I kept putting the book down and doing something else, anything else. I finally told myself I was going to return the book the next day, whether I finished it or not. And I did finish it, and si...more
Wow. Either Winterson does not enjoy writing description, or she assumes that the young people today just do not enjoy reading it. If I can say anything about this read, it is that it was fast-paced (the only reason it took me longer than it should have was due to the fact that I kept getting bored with the characters and flitting off to do something besides read). In fact, most of the qualities that make a good novel (engaging characters, well-drawn scenes, etc.), were sacrificed for the sake o...more
I don't know if I'm going to be able to finish this book. I'm about 3/4 of the way through it and have gotten so bogged down with the descriptions about the why of the issues with time that it has totally killed the flow of the story for me.
I need a 'hibernating' shelf for books that I started and just couldn't finish, so I can return to them at another time.
It's a fairly standard fantasy, with a number of elements that remind me of The Golden Compass. Unfortunately for Tanglewreck, the 'why' a...more
I need a 'hibernating' shelf for books that I started and just couldn't finish, so I can return to them at another time.
It's a fairly standard fantasy, with a number of elements that remind me of The Golden Compass. Unfortunately for Tanglewreck, the 'why' a...more
Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson is set in London in the present or near-future. There’s a lot of interesting time-travel ideas and Shrodinger’s Cat makes an appearance (there’s an actual cat embodying the theory), which might mean that this book is a sure thing, but alas, it is not. None of the characters really appealed to me and the ending was way too much of a deus ex machina. Aside from the occasional mention of Star Trek (and one mention each for Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings), there’s...more
Great book. Much in line with that class of work that has something for adults in a young adult novel. There is plenty for a young person, I'd say not too young (perhaps 13 or 14), but then there is stuff that really only a well read adult would get. I'm drawn to a line that comes and goes in the text that is drawn directly from Puccini's Tosca. Not something you'd expect the average 13 year old to get. But it doesn't take up much space - so a young person won't get bogged down in the few little...more
Truly amazing book from start to finish. I first read this book as a child and at that age, it was hard to capture my attention for long, however this book did not disappoint my parents when they gave me it. Silver, he protagonist sets out on a journey in hopes of finding out what happened to her parents when she stumbles across what appears to be a normal pocket watch in her attic. This pocket watch is not so ordinary, she finds and the adventure starts. I recommend this book for anyone who lov...more
Funny how everyone thinks this book is very much like the Golden Compass. Well, in one way it certainly is not: I actually liked the kid in Tanglewreck. I hated the kids in Pullman's books. I could not care less what happened to them; in fact, at certain points, I wanted them to just go away. Silver, on the other hand, is not annoying or obnoxious or stupid or overly melodramatic.
Winterson has always toyed with relativity and quantum physics in her books; Tanglewreck is no exception. But Winter...more
Winterson has always toyed with relativity and quantum physics in her books; Tanglewreck is no exception. But Winter...more
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Novelist Jeanette Winterson was born in Manchester, England in 1959. She was adopted and brought up in Accrington, Lancashire, in the north of England. Her strict Pentecostal Evangelist upbringing provides the background to her acclaimed first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, published in 1985. She graduated from St Catherine's College, Oxford, and moved to London where she worked as an assi...more
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