The Book of Lost Things (Audio CD) by John Connolly - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

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Robotkarateman rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

03/09/08

bookshelves: modern-fantasy

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in February, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Connolly's "Book of Lost Things" came highly recommended as a modern take on the fantasy genre. What I found instead was a completely unlikeable main character, an array of interchangeable father figures, and a disappointing rehash of the usual fairy tale parodies.

"Lost Things" centers on David, a boy whose mother dies and whose father remarries and has a second child, leaving David to bicker bitterly with his new stepmother while trying to avoid anxiety attacks that lea...more Connolly's "Book of Lost Things" came highly recommended as a modern take on the fantasy genre. What I found instead was a completely unlikeable main character, an array of interchangeable father figures, and a disappointing rehash of the usual fairy tale parodies.

"Lost Things" centers on David, a boy whose mother dies and whose father remarries and has a second child, leaving David to bicker bitterly with his new stepmother while trying to avoid anxiety attacks that leave him blacked out and feverish. And that groundwork occurs in one of the most poorly paced info-dumps I've had the misfortune to read. The first chapter focuses on David and his mother, leading you to believe this will be the crux of the story - but alas, she dies. The second chapter focuses on the father's remarriage and David's anxiety attacks leading the reader to believe, perhaps, this is the focus of the story - it is not. The third and fourth chapters center on David's mostly absent father whose work is "top secret" and David's fights with his step-mother and we, the audience, raise our index fingers and say, "Ah-ha! Top secret Dad! Conflict with the new parental figure! This, surely, is the story!" But, alas, those are red-herrings as well. In fact, after the sixth chapter, neither of those characters appears again until the (two chapters long!) epilogue.

The real story ends up being David's abduction into the land of fairy tales by the Crooked Man, a Rumpelstiltskin who makes vicious bargains with emotional children to feed his magical slave house. David starts off his true adventure by following the voice of his dead mother - but don't assume that the story somehow involves David's mother's spirit wandering painfully in the fantasy realm awaiting rescue, this too, in Connolly fashion, is completely irrelevant to the story. Instead, David wanders the fantasy realm accompanied by a series of nearly identical substitute fathers who end up betraying David's trust in one way or another - by being gay in one case (Roland), by being fallible in another (the generic Woodsman).

In the end, David finds another potential father figure in Jonathon, and quickly realizes that not only is Jonathon a liar and a murderer, but also that he, David, no longer needs a father figure because he's now become a man of his own right. He then stares down Jonathon, the Crooked Man, and the vicious wolf monsters, who until that point only appeared in the story when Connolly felt the need to remind us that David was in danger because wolf monsters were chasing him; they never catch up to him except at the end and, as I said, David simply stares them down and wins by virtue of his newfound manhood.

In all, "Lost Things" is a plodding, thinly veiled paean to a baby-boomer-era view of "manhood" as stoic resolution and resistance to all hurts, including mental and emotional. Perhaps this story plays better, and I don't wish to be insulting, with a female audience, one that's never had to grapple with questions of "manliness" or had to decide on an appropriate level of attachment to an older male. As for me, I was insulted that David begins the story emotionally wounded by what he views as a betrayal by his father and, instead of finding closure, he learns to just get over it and "be a man" about it.

But a bigger insult, in my eyes, was the closing of the book - Connolly is so in love with his work that he follows up the main story with almost 150 pages of notes and commentary on his story: everything from the origins of the fairy tales he parodies to his woeful recollections of scenes that were cut from the final draft (murder your darlings, Connolly!). It's as jarring as it would be had Stephen King ended Christine with detailed descriptions of a Plymouth Belvedere and ten pages of him crying about the Arnie/Christine tailpipe sex scene that his editors excised from the final publication.

This was my first experience with Connolly, and as it's his most highly recommended book, I'll probably pass on his work in the future. ...less

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John rated it:

(review of isbn 074329890X)

04/18/08

bookshelves: books-read-in-2008

Read in April, 2008

Which do you think will be read and savoured in 100 years time, the fairy stories of the Grimm Brothers with their roots in the old darkness of firelight nights or the latest Jodi Picoult about a life that the children of parents yet to be born will have no knowledge or interest in. Yet the same children when meeting the stories of world long faded even when written down by the Grimm Brothers will still be amazed and scared. Don’t believe me? Well I do story telling in pubs to adults and ha...more Which do you think will be read and savoured in 100 years time, the fairy stories of the Grimm Brothers with their roots in the old darkness of firelight nights or the latest Jodi Picoult about a life that the children of parents yet to be born will have no knowledge or interest in. Yet the same children when meeting the stories of world long faded even when written down by the Grimm Brothers will still be amazed and scared. Don’t believe me? Well I do story telling in pubs to adults and have known an entire bar go quiet and listen intently as a story of woods, princes and monsters enfolds in their mind.

It is from this deep well that John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things draws on as he tells the story of 12 year old David’s losing fight to keep his mother and family he knows a alive. His anger and grief causes him blackouts and a wish for revenge as his father deals with grief by marriage and work. David discovers the presence of the Crooked Man who can move between the world of living and story. Books start talking to him and boundaries blur so that when his anger and that of his struggling step-mother collide it sets into train his explosive entry into land of story.

Once there we meet traditional fairyland characters but from an adult and darker angle… Red riding Hood hunts out the wolf for sex and worse! It becomes clear that the adventures reflect David’s fears and the choices he must make as he struggles to deal with his grief and anger. To make the wrong choices will leave worlds destroyed but so will the right ones as he learns that happy endings are for fairy stories. But as heaven is what we make it, his death when it comes is not the end of the story.

This is not a children’s story but an adult story about when childhood ends and what life is made as we grow up. Its portrait of David trying to keep his mother alive and his feelings made me cry in the first 10 pages such was the lyrical nature of the writing. The stories within stories are not distractions as some reviewers suggest but insights into the characters that David meets and his own feelings and choices that he has to make. It has lots of comic moments as well as the Snow White and communist dwarfs’ episode shows. However, ultimately it’s a story about growing up and letting go of illusions, which makes it very sad and poignant. So if it gets to be a film think David Lynch or Tim Burton rather then Disney and you are on the right track about the tone of the book. Recommend for an easy enjoyable and moving read.
...less

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Kim rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

04/22/08

Read in April, 2008

This is why I don't read the front jacket of books. I get sucked in thinking 'wow--this makes a good story'. Hmphf.

Okay, it's not a bad story. It had its moments. But, it lost me when it started twisting fairy tales to be all sorts of clever. Snow White as a hefty, insult laden uber wench? yeah. whatever.

The story outside of these sidebars is actually quite interesting, a boy's journey in a strange land, grieving over his dead mom, etc... but I still found myself wondering w...more

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Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

01/27/08

bookshelves: fiction, orphanded-and-quasi-orphaned-kids, reviewed

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: everybody, especially those who have used reading to get through challenging times

Part fairy tale and part psychological study, I found this to be an engrossing and powerful book. Recommend to everybody, particularly those who have used reading and books to get themselves through difficult times, especially in childhood.

I don't look at this book the way some readers apparently have: as sci-fi or fantasy, but instead see it as showing the redemptive power of books and stories in children's and adults' lives. And as an account of one boy's inner life and imagination.

I'm...more

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Abby rated it:

(review of isbn 0340899484)

09/26/07

bookshelves: fantasy

Hmmmm. What to say about this book...

Okay, in many ways, brilliant. It started off reading like a children's story and I was immediately thinking that I'd lend it to my 8-year-old niece. But as the book progressed, it moved further and further into a clear adult-fantasy. And like many adult-fantasy authors these days, Connelly has taken old fables/fairy tales and put his own twist on them. Rather than revelling them into an entire story, like Gregory Maguire does, Connelly just keeps them as...more

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LJ rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

08/13/07

bookshelves: england, horror, paranormal_fantasy, ww2_1939-45

Read in December, 2006

THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS (Dark Fantasy/England/WWII) – Okay
Connolly, John – Standalone
Hodder & Stoughton, 2006- UK Hardcover
*** 12-year-old David loves to read and, upon the death of his mother, hears books talking. Still mourning the loss of his mother, his father tells him he’ll have a new mother and a baby brother or sister. They move out of London to his stepmother Rose’s huge house in the country where he is given a room filled with books but feels angry and displaced by ...more

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Kirsty rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

07/29/08

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Kirsty by: Lori Hettler

This book was fun. I liked the author's take on the fairytales I read as a child. They become very dark, and in some places very funny. I especially liked the tale of Snow White.

The characterisation was ok, for me there was something missing from the main character - I just can't quite figure out what. That said, I liked the character of The Crooked Man, even if he did creep me out a little.

There was a little more gore than I was expecting, and I'm not sure all of it was necessary. I did...more

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Lori rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

12/19/07

bookshelves: farbetterthanmost

Read in December, 2007

Read this book without really knowing too much about it. Just that other reviewers were impressed and it centered around a little boy and some dark versions of fairy tales that I had grown up on.

Wow.

Wow.wow.wow.

That is what I have to say when I got to the last page.
It was a really really great story. 10 year old boy who loves to read, loses his mother, hates his new stepmother and stepbrother.... gets pulled into this fairy tale world where things are familiar yet somewhat strange....more

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mellymel rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

12/08/08

Read in December, 2008

recommended to mellymel by: Allison

Points for the clever imagination,the weaving of fairy tales into a dark and fantastical story of a 10 year old boy who loves to read. When he is pulled into a nightmarish forest he must use his wits & imagination to survive the perilous journey home. I'm not usually a big fantasy reader, but this was definitely worthwhile.
Things I could have done without:
- while I loved Roland, the not so hidden agenda of his character (anti God, in love with Raphael) seemed so ridiculously out of plac...more

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April rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

07/07/08

Read in June, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Rachel rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

01/08/08

Read in January, 2008

I picked this up blindly and bought it from the description on the book jacket alone. I wish I'd liked it more; rather, I wish it'd been better-executed.

My main trouble was with the telling-not-showing style of writing. In the words of Twain, "Don’t say 'the old lady screamed.' Bring her on and let her scream." The turbulence of David's inner life ends up muffled by the flat and dispassionate narrative ("He experienced a wave of pity for the dead man...", "He was ...more

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Brooke rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

07/12/08

bookshelves: 2008, fantasy

Read in July, 2008

The Book of Lost Things is basically a fairy tale that pays homage to other fairy tales; the main character David disappears into a magic land after a German bomber plane crashes into his backyard and experiences a multitude of events culled from the books he's read (including, in the book's funniest scene, a book about Communism).

It's a story with many layers and an ambiguous end, which makes it a shame that the last 130 pages of the book are the author's notes and thoughts about the...more

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Bethany added it (review of isbn 0743298853)

10/07/07

Read in October, 2007

Okay, so I didn't exactly finish this book. I was listening to the audio book in my car, but I just kept losing interest.

Basically this book is a compilation of fractured fairy tales. A boy called David somehow crosses over into another dimension, one that is filled with various fairy tale characters. David is trying to find his way back home and is told by the "Woodsman" that perhaps the King can help him find the way with his book of lost things.

So in the mean time David...more

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J.b. rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

04/06/08

Read in February, 2007

I really enjoyed this book. No, it's not for children. It's an adventure story and fairy tale for grown ups in the style of fairy tale masters Andersen and the Grimm Brothers. For those who like Disney fairy tales, forget this book. This is written in like an old-school fairy tale - those harsh and magical morality tales meant to teach a lesson by using monsters, beautiful women, and courageous children stepping from childhood into adulthood. I thought the World War backstory was excellent and g...more

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Vera rated it:

(review of isbn 9792238794)

01/02/09

bookshelves: fiction, translated-into-indonesian

Read in January, 2009

Lagi-lagi Ibu memergoki saya sedang cekikikan bersama sebuah buku, "Apa lagi, itu?" tanya beliau.

"Hmmm... coba Ibu bayangkan cerita Timun Mas. Waktu dia berlari dikejar Buto Ijo sambil mengantungi perbekalannya: terasi, garam, cabe (bukan jarum), ia melewati sebuah kebun timun. Di sana Pak Tani dan si Kancil sedang sibuk memanen timun dengan bahagia. Pak Tani memanggilnya dan mengajaknya ikut memetik dan memakan timun. Timun Mas tertarik dan berhenti. Teringat ia membawa terasi, cabe dan garam, ia meminta gula merah pada Bu Tani dan kemudian dibuatlah bumbu rujak.

Mereka makan rujak dengan gembira, timunnya benar2 segar di hari yang panas. Saat itulah Buto Ijo tiba dan meraung. Kelihatan dia benar2 letih dan dahaga. Pak Tani juga menawarinya merujak bersama mereka. Maka Buto Ijo tidak jadi melahap Timun Mas, ia makan rujak timun, dan ia dan Timun Mas hidup bahagia selama-lamanya."

"Cerita dari mana, tuh?" Ibu nggak percaya.

"Aku ngarang..." ...more

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7 comments

Elizabeth rated it:

(review of isbn 074329890X)

10/01/08

bookshelves: 2008, novels

Read in October, 2008

Meh.
A mix of fairy tales, your typical fantasy quest-type plot, echoes of 20th century world wars, and some predictable family relationships. There's a lot going on in this book, but it's rarely surprising.
I felt like I was reading several books I'd already read before, but all at once: "The Neverending Story," "The Road," "The Chronicles of Narnia," and, just a little bit, "The Wizard of Oz." It's predictable, but it's also readable, with decent wri...more

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ShellBell rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

10/18/08

Read in October, 2008

I finished this book a while back, but haven't felt up to reviewing it. You ever feel that way about a book? I rarely do. And it wasn't like this was a bad book. I liked it! All of the fiction I love best includes characters that go on a quest, a journey: Lord of the Rings, The Dark Tower, etc. For some reason I love that shit! They fight through monsters, injuries, loss of loved ones, and most often, they get to their goal only to be disappointed. Wizard of Oz anyone? Ah, but the wonderful jour...more

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Juushika rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

09/20/08

bookshelves: borrowed

Read in September, 2007

Not long before the start of World War II, a boy named David loses his mother. David has always been an avid reader, but now his books begin to speak; his father remarries, his step-brother is born, and the war begins. Suddenly, David is pulled into a new world—the world that lives in his fairy tales, only darker and more dangerous. With his way back to our world blocked by the Crooked Man, David must journey through this new world to find a way back home—and he must become a man. Alth...more Not long before the start of World War II, a boy named David loses his mother. David has always been an avid reader, but now his books begin to speak; his father remarries, his step-brother is born, and the war begins. Suddenly, David is pulled into a new world—the world that lives in his fairy tales, only darker and more dangerous. With his way back to our world blocked by the Crooked Man, David must journey through this new world to find a way back home—and he must become a man. Although this book begins slowly and unsteadily, it soon builds up into a twisted story that is hard to put down. Thrilling, frightening, and imaginative, this is a fairy tale for adults and a unique coming of age story. Despite its faults, I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

The Book of Lost Things begins slowly. The language is clunky, thick with adverbs and one-sentence leading paragraphs. The characters are predictable, especially that of the immature child David who, however realistic or compassionate, is neither admirable or interesting. However, as the book sweeps into the land of fantasy, the plot becomes richer and more exciting and the David's character becomes immediately more complex. From this point on, the book is both good and engrossing. Be prepared to stick through the slow beginning—it is worth it.

The other faults of the book are some failed attempt at satire and, perhaps most disappointing, an antagonist that is evil simply for the sake of being evil. However twisted (and often, detailed) the plans, malice, and sins of the Crooked Man, the lack of justification or complication to his evil nature makes him less interesting. It contrasts with the exceedingly complex nature of the rest of the fantasy world. The more you know about him, the less frightening he becomes. Thankfully, the book's climax is still skillful and scary, but the major antagonist is neither.

The fairy tale world of The Book of Lost Things is corrupted, twisted, and almost gratuitously violent, making this an fairy tale that is very much intended for adults despite the young protagonist. These themes also create the book's intense, dark atmosphere, and so make it a compelling, thrilling read. Connolly sustains tension throughout the book, and there are authentically frightening parts. In many ways the stories setting, themes, and atmosphere resemble that of the film Pan's Labyrinth: the fantasy world becomes a realm for David to tackle his own issues of jealousy, loneliness, and fear in the face of his changing family and changing world. The fantasy world, however, holds real consequences and often violence and death, and by the end of the book the reader is not sure how much of the world is real—and how much is David's own creation. This makes for a book that remains actively engrossing, and build a truly unique coming of age story. I may not agree with all of the conclusions on the themes, I don't much care for the antagonist, but this book is still wonderfully written. It is just twisted enough to give me shivers, the plot is steadily paced and the action makes it hard to put the book down, and David's own character growth brings the book to a complex and meaningful climax. This book is faulted, but nonetheless I greatly enjoyed it and I highly recommend it to all mature readers....less

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Nielam rated it:

(review of isbn 0743298853)

09/04/08

bookshelves: adventure, fantasy

Read in September, 2008

recommends it for: roos, runi, adisti

sejauh ini...terjemahannya bagus. banyak kata2 yang dah terlupakan bermunculan lagi.

rasanya kayak balik baca buku jaman kecil dulu, saat bahasanya masih terasa indah dan klasik. entah karena penulisnya yang hebat, atau memang penterjemahnya yang niat.

br sampe hal 55 sih, hehehe.

-----review-----

yaiii selesaaaaiiii, dengan sangat manis dan menyenangkan, although it depends on your own interpretation sih, tapi kalau gue sih mikir yang indah2nya ajah.

i think this writer, connoly...more

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Lunar rated it:

(review of isbn 074329890X)

06/28/08

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: Anyone who has a penchant for dark fairy tales or myths.

I have an admitted bias towards fairy tales, myths, and legends, the best being of an exceedingly dark nature. These archetypal myths were the first stories ever told in order to make sense of a frightening and dangerous world. Stories holding similar concepts of good, evil, or carrying a moral message often retain the most psychological and spiritual impact. Such images are more important because they are not unique (there is nothing new under the sun), and Joseph Campbell emphasized this m...more I have an admitted bias towards fairy tales, myths, and legends, the best being of an exceedingly dark nature. These archetypal myths were the first stories ever told in order to make sense of a frightening and dangerous world. Stories holding similar concepts of good, evil, or carrying a moral message often retain the most psychological and spiritual impact. Such images are more important because they are not unique (there is nothing new under the sun), and Joseph Campbell emphasized this more eloquently than I ever could.

The Book of Lost Things is Connolly's offering, and draws heavily on the archetypal tales that have preceded it (there is even a lengthy appendix regarding fairy tales and myths). His protagonist is a twelve-year old English boy named David, who is slowly pulled into a fantastic world of woodsman, lycanthropes, trolls, and a possibly malevolent being called the Crooked Man. Like most archetypal protagonists, David's encounters in this world prove to test his mettle and teach him difficult life lessons. There are parallels to what David is experiencing in his real life with the death of his mother, his jealously of his new brother, and fears of abandonment. There are also elements of Stephen King, C.S. Lewis, and the 80s movie "Labyrinth." Despite the fact that Connolly draws on the older tales, David's adventures are presented with enough skill and uniqueness as to be engaging, while at the same time tapping into the reader's own life experiences, or even the Jungian collective if one believes in that sort of thing.

The only problem I would have (and I have noticed this in his other fiction) is that Connolly often breaks one of the first rules of writing: show don't tell. If this were simply a book for young adults, this might be forgiven. There are points in the book where characters emotions are described using adjectives when the actions or the plot structure should be able to convey to the reader this information without stating in bluntly. In addition, he does this with other aspects (for instance, the fact that the creatures in this realm might be a creation of David's subconscious). In many cases, overtly stating such things is unnecessary, and doesn't give enough credit to the intelligence of his readers.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who has a penchant for dark fairy tales, myths, or who might be interested in re-visiting some aspects of their childhood that contributed to making them who they are today.

"For in every adult lies the child that was, and in every child lies the adult that will be." ...less

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The Book of Lost Things

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