The Adventures of Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet

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The Adventures of Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet

by Carlo Collodi, Iassen Ghiuselev (Illustrator)

3.67 · rating details · 6,635 ratings · 394 reviews

A timeless tale of adventure, heart, mischief, and family, Pinocchio is one of the most renowned children's books of all time. Since its publication in 1881, there have been countless editions of the book. Unlike these editions, most of which feature the work of a single artist, this Classic Illustrated Edition brings together Carlo Collodi's original story and a wondrous ...more

Hardcover, Illustrated English Edition, 160 pages

Published February 18th 2002 by Simply Read Books (first published 1881)

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Dec 01, 2009

Eddie Watkins rated it

· review of another edition

What a lively book! and also what a strange book, in its nimble flirtations with death and grotesqueries that add many layers of deftly handled complexities to a seemingly simple tale.

Collodi was clearly conflicted about who Pinocchio actually was. The afterword informs us that the book is actually two parts that have now fused into one. What is now the first half of the book was originally a complete tale in itself, and ended with Pinocchio dying after being hung from a tree. But th...more

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Mar 31, 2009

Brad rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: children, to-my-kids

I have been slowly reading a stack of children's classics to my twins (thus far to combat the poor movie adaptations that are out there), but I have been less than impressed.

I found Peter Pan (both the character and the story) insufferable; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory offended me ideologically; and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was too heavy handed. So I had little hope for Carlo Collodi's Pinnochio.

Even though I had been slightly disabused of my belief that Pinnochio ...moreI have been slowly reading a stack of children's classics to my twins (thus far to combat the poor movie adaptations that are out there), but I have been less than impressed.

I found Peter Pan (both the character and the story) insufferable; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory offended me ideologically; and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was too heavy handed. So I had little hope for Carlo Collodi's Pinnochio.

Even though I had been slightly disabused of my belief that Pinnochio would be overly moralistic by The Old Trouts' brilliant stage adaptation (they're a Canadian puppet theatre company based out of Calgary), and despite the fact that Disney's Classic adaptation maintains most of the creepier elements from Collodi's classic, I approached Pinnochio with serious doubt and attitude.

I almost dared it to be good.

And shock of shocks it actually was. Yes there's a talking cricket, but his name isn't Jiminy and he doesn't sit on Pinnochio's shoulder and act as his conscience. Yes there is a thread of moralism running through the book, and yes some of the things Collodi teaches, such as his focus on one's duty to obey one's parents, run contrary to what I believe, the book actually steers clear of preachiness and simply lets a fun story unfold in a fun way with a couple of decent lessons cropping up here and there.

Playland (known as Pleasure Island in Disney parlance) is almost as creepy as Walt's uber-spooky version, particularly the slimy man who rounds up the kiddies and turns them into donkeys. Monstro is a gigantic, mile long Shark-with-no-name, rather than a massive whale. The blue haired fairy is a huge character, far more important than the talking cricket, and she can change shape into a goat at will. And if these elements weren't enough fun there are times when Pinnochio is collared and tied to a dog house to watch hens, hanged from a tree to die in the forest, nearly used as kindling, has his donkey flesh eaten away by nasty little fish, and is even thrown in prison by a Judge who happens to be a talking Ape.

E. Harden's translation seems superb and is eminently readable (although my friend Manny might no better how accurate a translation it is), and even though the book comes in at a pretty steep 200+ pages (impressive for a kids' book) it never tires its reader or his listeners. My kids wanted more every time we stopped for the night, and if Collodi leaves the kids wanting more that has to be a good thing.

Our next stop is Alice in Wonderland, but I may hunt down some more Collodi. He deserves to be read.
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Jun 08, 2009

Jeanette rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: all-fiction, classics, fantasy

Hmmm.....Nineteenth century Italian writer experiments with psychoactive substances and writes a children's book?

In this story you will meet:

A guy named Mini-Man who bites off the ears of his donkeys as a gesture of affection.

A large Snail with a glowing lantern on her head.

A large Serpent with green skin, eyes of fire, and a pointy tail that smokes like a chimney. The Serpent laughs so hard that a vein bursts in his chest and he dies.

...more

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Mar 22, 2011

Sammie added it · review of another edition

What is you were just sitting around playing with a piece of wood, and all of a sudden, it started… to talk. You jump back, thinking this is a dream. Well, in The Adventures of Pinocchio, that dream comes true.
It all started one day when a man named Geppetto was building a puppet. When all of a sudden, it started to cry, scream, laugh, and talk. He kept working his puppet, with his occasional blackouts from a piece of wood talking to him, and eventually he finished his puppet, and it becam...moreWhat is you were just sitting around playing with a piece of wood, and all of a sudden, it started… to talk. You jump back, thinking this is a dream. Well, in The Adventures of Pinocchio, that dream comes true.
It all started one day when a man named Geppetto was building a puppet. When all of a sudden, it started to cry, scream, laugh, and talk. He kept working his puppet, with his occasional blackouts from a piece of wood talking to him, and eventually he finished his puppet, and it became as real as anything can get. Except…one thing. Pinocchio was made out of wood, and he wanted to become a real boy, become a student, and a wonderful son. One day, when he was off to school, he met some troublemakers (a fox and a cat) who claimed they could make him rich. As disobedient and gullible as he was, Pinocchio agreed and they set off on their journey. Eventually, Pinocchio realized that they were up to no good and had abandoned him. But it was too late, Pinocchio had already met the assassins that wanted to steal his money. You can guess who these assassins were. After being hung on a tree by these assassins he was rescued by a ghost of a blue-haired child whom he called the “Blue-Fairy.” The Fairy cared for him and treated him as her own brother. But of course, one day when he left the house alone, he again ran into trouble. He was arrested for hurting a school-mate, (but he was framed), he went to a far-away land called Playland, he turned into a donkey, he came into the circus- where he caught a glimpse of his long-lost fairy, and he was sold to a man who wanted to drown him to make a drum out of his skin. But as he was being drowned, he turned back into a puppet and swam away. He saw his fairy, as a blue haired goat. He swam as fast as he could, but didn’t make it. A mile-long shark swallowed him, where he was reunited with his father- Geppetto. Together they escaped from the shark and went to the Fairy’s house, to find her gone. But he had found the good in him, he tried to donate his money to the fairy, and he was kind, smart, and well-being. Alas, he turned into a real boy.
This book is not just your typical, “A puppet nose grows long because he lies.” It is full of adventures, thrill, action, and some creepy or even scary scenes.
Pinocchio is a disobedient puppet that is so gullible that nasty old people always trick him. He loses everything, goes back to his family, promises to be good, leaves the house, and then starts his whole routine over again. It is like a routine for every day, like wake-up, brush your teeth, get dresses eat breakfast. But on the inside he is a caring loving puppet that tries his hardest at everything, although he can just never say no.
This book takes place in many places; Pinocchio’s hometown, (France), the ocean, the ocean, and the woods. In all of these places, Pinocchio is going through all of his adventures to become a real boy.
This book is a medium-to a hard read. It was written a very long time ago, therefore, has some different words from the text-tile we use today. At some points it is hard to understand, but if you keep reading and think about it, it all comes together. One thing I liked about this book was how the narrator sometimes said you, and i. as if he was stating what he thinks, or what he thinks the reader would think. But, I think instead of using it only three or four times, he could have used this technique throughout the book.
I think this book is a classic because as your reading it, you can tell it is from a long time ago. Whenever your thinking about childhood stories that keep coming up, one is always Pinocchio. It is one of those stories that gives you dreams at night and that you will remember your whole life.
Overall, I would recommend this book to readers who don’t like too scary things, but aren’t afraid to be creeped out. They should like to be in suspense and like to have and action-packed story. And I have one pointer, do not read this at night! It will give you nightmares.
All in all, Pinocchio was a great book.
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Dec 29, 2007

Ryan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-kids-lit

let's get this straight - pinocchio is an asshole. but in that, he's a regular adolescent trying to figure out how the world works and, more importantly, how he can navigate it. kids aren't always angels and ice cream - they're lying, cheating, selfish demons - i sometimes think there's nothing meaner than a 5th grader - but who can blame them? i think that was the appeal to me of reading this book versus watching the disney movie (which is my favorite disney movie, and i will have the argument ...more

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Nov 21, 2008

Troy Dufrene rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Lovers of dark fairy tales, wannabe Italians

Recommended to Troy by: Diesel Books

Time for a confession: I had no clue Pinocchio existed until I wandered into an independent bookstore to hear a reading. I mean, I knew about the Disney Technicolor extravaganza with the top-hatted cricket, the Marilyn Monroe-ish hypersexualized fairy, and the not-quite-as-racist-as-Popeye Geppetto. But I had no idea the story had descended to Walt's half-mad storyboards from a very keen and compelling 19th century Italian writer. But there was this fine New York Review of Books edition on the t...more

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Nov 21, 2008

Stephan rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Brian, Kelsey

Recommended to Stephan by: Paul Auster

"Centuries ago there lived- "A king!" my little readers will say immediately. No, children, you are wrong."

That's how Collodi's "The Adventures of Pinocchio" begins and differs from what I could have imagined (or what I imagined only knowing, or rather remembering, Disney's warped version of it). --SPOILERS TO FOLLOW-- "Jiminy Cricket" in Disney's version as the conscience or ghost is actually just called the "the talking cricket" and...more

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Nov 24, 2008

Richard rated it

· review of another edition

What a dick! Wavering around like a conker in the breeze, pinocchio dances about and invites at least a harsh look.
But he gets more than that! Hung from the neck til dead! pushed into a coffin paraded by freakish rabbits! Have his legs plucked off! Pasted with flour! Chained up like a dog! eaten by a shark! Turned into a donkey and drowned! Starve to death! Get burnt up - more than once! - all this and more! Horrible!

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Jul 24, 2011

Andy rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: bad puppets

Recommended to Andy by: Jerry Mahoney

Shelves: kidstuff, kool-imports

"Pinocchio" was originally written as a serial for a newspaper, so the narrative of the novel follows this format: every four chapters Pinocchio finds himself in another big mess he can't get out of unless The Blue Fairy bails him out.
His lack of respect for Gepetto's feelings made me dislike him until I realized I was just as much of a monster when I was little, so it's safe to say there's a little bad puppet in all of us.

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Oct 13, 2011

Lindsey rated it

· review of another edition

Pinocchio is a good book. I liked that Pinocchio kept on going back and forth between good and bad. He would go on the wrong path, but turn around and get back on the right path, and sometimes he didn't go where he wanted to go. I didn't like that Pinocchio was not honest and that he was easily tricked by greedy people. Pinocchio is a good book for kids to read because it teaches a lesson but it is not boring. - J.H.

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Jan 19, 2012

Mark O'Neill rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, classic, children, literature, fairy, tale, puppet

This is a story that all children should read as it is a story of obeying and honoring your parents. It is a story of acting maturely and responsibly, listening and acting on the advice of others, going to school and learning a trade, instead of wasting your life away irresponsibly. These are all lessons that Carlo Collodi tries to teach his young readers in the form of his puppet character Pinnochio.[return][return]The story starts with Geppetto carving a piece of wood into a puppet and calli...more

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Nov 18, 2010

Isairon rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favole, ebook, l, italiana

Come non amare questo libro! La prima volta l’ho visto in tv, cartone animato della Walt Disney. Poi l’immensa interpretazione di Nino Manfredi ne “Le avventure di Pinocchio”. 5 puntate, un’attesa infinita davanti a quella scatola in legno con le antenne. Non volevo perdermi una puntata. Anche per riascoltare la sigla dello sceneggiato. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRPLrk6wgg&feature=related
Odore di minestra, televisione ancora in bianco e nero, capelli… capelli alla caschetto, tagliati in ca...more

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Dec 29, 2008

Nathan rated it

· review of another edition

No review of this strange, unsettling story is written without mentioning the Disney movie within the first sentence (this review included), mostly because the movie has so ingrained itself into the public consciousness that it overshadows the book and demands to be addressed in the same breath. Hopefully this won't be the case forever, because this novel is a masterful, eerie tale that stands alone.

The movie is beautiful and creepy in its own way, but Carlo Collodi's novel is spare,...more

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Jan 02, 2012

Abc rated it

· review of another edition

‘Pinokio’ tak jak ‘Mały Książe’ nie jest książką jedynie dla dzieci.
Drewniany Pajac, podobnie jak mieszkaniec planety B-612, wyrusza w podróż swego życia, żeby poznać i zrozumieć kilka ważnych prawd.

Collodi zmagał się z alkoholizmem, często pisał na głodzie alkoholowym i pod wpływem depresji. ‘Pierwszy Pinokio’ pojawił się w 1881r. w formie odcinkowej. Szybko został uśmiercony, jednak bunt czytelników przyczynił się do dopisania dalszych losów.

Autor w dużej mierze ...more‘Pinokio’ tak jak ‘Mały Książe’ nie jest książką jedynie dla dzieci.
Drewniany Pajac, podobnie jak mieszkaniec planety B-612, wyrusza w podróż swego życia, żeby poznać i zrozumieć kilka ważnych prawd.

Collodi zmagał się z alkoholizmem, często pisał na głodzie alkoholowym i pod wpływem depresji. ‘Pierwszy Pinokio’ pojawił się w 1881r. w formie odcinkowej. Szybko został uśmiercony, jednak bunt czytelników przyczynił się do dopisania dalszych losów.

Autor w dużej mierze pisał o samym sobie. Jego Pinokio nie jest klarowną postacią jak bohaterowie z bajek Disneya. W jego opowieści jest więcej życia niż w typowej baśni. Kiedy wydaje nam się, że historia potoczy się przewidywalnym torem, dzieje się coś nieobliczalnego. Przygody pajaca zaczynają się od nowa i znowu zmaga się on z przeciwnościami losu.

Pinokio jest odzwierciedleniem Carla -obaj są niedojrzali, ale z tego wyrastają, są postaciami ułomnymi i wrażliwcami, którzy potrafią uronić łzę nad swym losem, upadają kilka razy i kilka razy się podnoszą.
Collodi był usilnie związany z matką. Pajac ma za to swoją Wróżkę, która zastępuje mu matkę i siostrę. To ona chce mu objaśnić zasady panujące w świecie na podstawie doświadczeń. Wszystkie próby i testy, którym jest poddawany mają na celu poznanie świata na własnej skórze. Przez lekcje, które mu daje ma się czegoś nauczyć i wyciągnąć wnioski. Ma zrozumieć czym jest sedno życia.

I o tym jest ta opowieść. O życiu rzeczywistym. O poszukiwaniu własnego dna. O upadku, ale nie aż tak drastycznym, by już nie powstać.

Rodzi się więc pytanie, czy historia Pajaca przeznaczona jest jedynie dla dzieci? Czy opowiada jedynie o drewnianym chłopcu, któremu kłamiąc wydłuża się nos? Czy jedynym morałem wynikającym z bajki, jest nakaz słuchania rodziców?
A może bajka o polanie wyzwala emocje niezależnie od wieku? Może każdy znajdzie swoją interpretację tekstu i jakąś życiową mądrość?

Uważa się, że liczba edycji Pinokia jest bliska liczbie Biblii, co świadczy chyba o sile tej książki.(less)

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Oct 03, 2011

Derek rated it

· review of another edition

as a boy, Pinocchio was one of my favorite stories so Carlo Collodi's original The Adventures of Pinocchio was one of the first things i decided to read in italian (without a side translation) & boy was i surprised to discover how different (& better) it was from Disney's sanitized version, or whatever english book i read then which was probably adapted from the movie, or just the general Pinocchio folklore that exists in america (hereby referred to as the «McOcchio» version). this post will com...more

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Sep 25, 2011

Tina Peterson rated it

· review of another edition

Pinocchio has long been one of my favorites. I received a set of 4 records with 8 classics stories when I was 8 and one of the stories was Pinocchio and I've loved that story ever since. This is the story of Pinocchio, a little puppet boy made of wood who has great adventures and yearns to be a "real" boy.

The book itself includes other adventures not included in the movie. And your kid's will love following along with Pinocchio's adventures as he learns about being honest, o...more

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Sep 22, 2011

Cameron Villani rated it

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This book is called The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is a very old book and definately deserves to be a classic. It is a book or story that probably everyone has heard in their life. It is the same Pinocchio but a slightly diffenrent story. What I mean by that is that the author is a very distinct writer. I am not sure if I think of that in a good or bad way. It is very different. For example,"Pinocchio saw the Carabineer from afar and tried his best to escape between the le...more

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Sep 20, 2011

Class 501 rated it

· review of another edition

Dear Class 4-501,

I have just started reading the classic story Pinnochio by Carlo Collodi. So far, the story is mostly about a poor man named Geppeto who makes himself a puppet called Pinnochio. The other character in the story is the woodcarver named Master Antonio who supplies Geppeto with the wood. In the beginning, Master Antonio discovers that the piece of wood he has in his woodpile is enchanted and can speak to him. Then Master Antonio gives the talking piece o...more

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Aug 05, 2011

Tammy M. rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: storytime, all-ages-reading

Disney this is certainly not.

I'm pretty sure most of us have seen the animated flick with Jiminy Cricket following and yelling at Pinonchio - as well as 'I've got no strings to hold me down' and that scene with the donkey transformation that terrified me as a young child.

That scene dosen't take place in the book - at least not in the same way as it did in the movie. In fact, the Disney movie is a very loose adaption. Think you know Pinnochio because you saw the movie? Thi...moreDisney this is certainly not.

I'm pretty sure most of us have seen the animated flick with Jiminy Cricket following and yelling at Pinonchio - as well as 'I've got no strings to hold me down' and that scene with the donkey transformation that terrified me as a young child.

That scene dosen't take place in the book - at least not in the same way as it did in the movie. In fact, the Disney movie is a very loose adaption. Think you know Pinnochio because you saw the movie? Think again.

This is a surprisingly dark children's story; as Pinnochio goes about his business (Usually misbehaving and landing himself in trouble) he has a number of near-death experiences and shocks - often caused by the Blue Fairy, whom he calls 'Little Sister' or 'Little Mama'.

Pinnochio as a character begins as, frankly, a brat; he only wants to have fun, not really caring about his father's feelings or circumstances and only really thinking about himself. As he continues on his way, however, he begins to develop a sense of compassion and remorse - very human characteristics for a stump with legs - as well as an interest in education and a desire to better himself. Unfortunately his curiosity and laziness often gets the better of him and he lands himself in trouble. This provides an amusing story with many vibrant characters and gripping stories. The book is almost episodic in style because of this.

The ending is the usual fairy-tale ending - the bad are punished and the good are rewarded and live happily. Even if it is a tad overdone, I feel it is a satisfying ending to the story. It should be considered that it is a children's story with very clear morals, so the ending fits the purpose of the story perfectly.

If you want a great book to read to the kids that has a little bit of suspense - though not enough to cause nightmares - and a lot of fun with a valid lesson behind it, look no further. I will remind you of the dark elements of the story - they are not graphic at all, but they are still there. I suggest you read the story before you read it to your kids, just in case - or so you can enjoy it first! Definitely worth a look, for readers of all ages.(less)

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Aug 03, 2011

Benjamin R rated it

· review of another edition

This Book is the longer version with 193 Pages and I'm on #91. This Book has much more adventure than the short little 10-long page one that's SUPER boring. I think (other people may not) Carlo Collodi has a lot, but good humor. In the story Pinocchio meets at least 10 characters. There is no School like the tiny and boring book. (But there is a stage and theater) Two of the characters are a Fox and Cat, and that's all I'm going to tell you because that would COMPLETLY RUIN IT! You should really...more

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Aug 03, 2011

Nicola rated it

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Shelves: arc, own

Acquired: Received a review copy from Candlewick Press.

Reason for Reading: Read aloud to the ds. This is actually my third attempt at reading this book to him. Pinocchio is one of my favourite children's classics. The first time was when he was five and was my edition that I had read, an old Rainbow Classics, but I think he was just too young. The second time, he was older and at that time I had a different edition, don't remember which, but it was an awful translation and we gave ...moreAcquired: Received a review copy from Candlewick Press.

Reason for Reading: Read aloud to the ds. This is actually my third attempt at reading this book to him. Pinocchio is one of my favourite children's classics. The first time was when he was five and was my edition that I had read, an old Rainbow Classics, but I think he was just too young. The second time, he was older and at that time I had a different edition, don't remember which, but it was an awful translation and we gave that up as well. So my hopes of reading him Pinocchio were put on the shelf until I saw this edition, which noted it was a brand new translation and I was taken right away with the collaged/mixed media artwork which I used to dabble in myself.

Starting with the art, the book is beautiful. I love this collage, mixed media art style and each page was a visual delight to me and my son, who has seen me dabbling in the art myself. An extremely gorgeous book. A square, softcover with french flaps make for easy handling and browsing. Ds would often pick the book up between reads and just look at the pictures.

There's no need to give a summary, I think everyone is acquainted with the story of the wooden puppet who wants to become a real boy. But if you've only been exposed to the Disney version, then just let me tell you that you do not really know the true story of Pinocchio, which is rather moralistic in teaching boys to be good boys and quite violent along way. One part that always makes me smile (because I hate Disney's Jiminy Cricket character) is that in the book when Pinocchio meets the cricket (no name, btw) who moralizes with him to annoyance is that Pinocchio's final response is to pick up a mallet and throw it at him, squashing the irritating bug against the wall. LOL. The cricket's ghost does return to annoy Pinocchio some more. DS thoroughly enjoyed the story as he wasn't familiar with it. He saw the Disney movie as a little kid but it had too much slow singing in it so he didn't like it, or pay much attention to it. He loved when anyone got what they deserved, even Pinocchio, and he found it fun when he could see it coming. The whole story is a lot of fun. With the modern translation and the new illustrations, this edition is entirely whimsical and doesn't come off as moralistic as earlier translations I've read do. Oh, it hasn't been left out, but Pinocchio is such a rude, naughty boy that he needs to be taught a lesson and eventually even he knows when he is doing the wrong thing. I highly recommend this translation, especially for reading aloud. (less)

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Apr 28, 2011

Dan rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: NOT CHILDREN

NOTE: This was downloaded for free as an e-book from the Gutenberg Project. www.gutenberg.org

After reading the marvelously devilish Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer, I just had to check out the original. And as I read it, I could only compare it to the Walt Disney movie, all I knew of the story beforehand, and marvel both that Disney decided to use this story as the basis for a children's movie, and that he was able to do so. (Well, inasmuch as Pinocchio can be called a 'children's movie'; ...more

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Mar 18, 2011

Lars Guthrie rated it

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Three years ago, Robert Brock’s translation of ‘Pinocchio’ garnered a fair amount of attention, including mine. I realized I knew nothing about the darker original story, despite the Disney movie being a childhood favorite.

Actually, though, I couldn’t remember too much about the movie, and thought I should see it again. What really stuck in my mind was Jiminy Cricket, and even more, the voice of Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket singing “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Bliss.

...more

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Mar 17, 2011

Tony rated it

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Shelves: fiction-mainstream

Collodi, Carlo. PINOCCHIO. (1881). ***. We all know the story of Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who wanted to be a real boy. Unfortunately, most of us know the story from the Walt Disney version, from his film released in 1940. We may have also come across the story in various children’s books as we were growing up. Although the sense of these stories remains true to the original, they differ in many significant ways. Collodi’s work appeared serially in a childrens’ magazine and was publis...more

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Mar 02, 2011

Joshua Blanc rated it

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Many of us will only be familiar with this story of the puppet that strives to become a real boy from the Disney adaptation. This was certainly the case with me before reading the book, which I was surprised to find more farcical and far more brutal. Pinocchio is hanged at one point; Jiminy Cricket (referred to in the book as ‘the Talking Cricket’) is squashed out of spite very early in the piece; and the ‘Good Fairy,’ it would seem, starts out as the spirit of a dead child. But fairy stories ha...more

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Jan 10, 2011

J rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. i don't know what to think about this book. i didn't really like it; at turns it was really disturbing, stupid and annoying, pedantic and preachy, unrealistic, incongruous, and transcendently philosophic. but it made me look at this mortal experience in a way i haven't for a while, and for that i don't regret reading it. pinocchio is not an endearing character, and i have no idea what the relationship with geppetto was based on (seriously, all he wanted was a puppet to do shows, and after ...more

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Oct 11, 2010

Leanna rated it

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Written in 1883 by one Carlo Collodi (serialized in a children's magazine before coming out in book form). Very different from the Disney version! Pinocchio is disobedient, selfish, and downright unlikeable occasionally. The book consists of his getting into one mess after another, all because he disobeys adults who know better than him. In a way, Pinocchio is a classic trickster! The book is written with humor (some of it seemed Alice in Wonderland-esque, no idea how influence might have worked...more

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Jul 19, 2010

Bob rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

The original Pinocchio was serialized in 1881 in an Italian periodical for children. Its worldwide fame preceded the 1940 Disney film, although that film remains the dominant version.

Collodi's version, no surprise, is much less sentimental and presents the puppet truly as a selfish, unmitigated "id" in the vein of Monkey (in Chinese literature) or Trickster (in Native American cultures). The puppet, like those other archetypes, also proves--often unwittingly--transformation...moreThe original Pinocchio was serialized in 1881 in an Italian periodical for children. Its worldwide fame preceded the 1940 Disney film, although that film remains the dominant version.

Collodi's version, no surprise, is much less sentimental and presents the puppet truly as a selfish, unmitigated "id" in the vein of Monkey (in Chinese literature) or Trickster (in Native American cultures). The puppet, like those other archetypes, also proves--often unwittingly--transformational to those around him.

Collodi's episodes (36 in 150 pages) are brief, his action swift, his characters unsentimental. The Blue Fairy is fearsome rather than winsome, the villains not so much buffoons, and Pinocchio's survival often in real jeopardy. In fact, Collodi had been content to kill off the puppet until his publisher convinced him otherwise.

Heavyweight commentators such as Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco (who wrote the introduction for this book) have touted Collodi's Pinocchio as essential and significant part of the literary canon. Unlike Monkey or Raven, however, Pinocchio is actually a child (albeit made of wood) and the story was explicitly written for children. Measured by Disney's version, not to mention today's children's tropes (Dora the Explorer, Barney), it does seem revolutionary. But as those proud Italian writers must admit, in the late 19th century, children were still--to invert a metaphor--"real" and not yet puppets. Santa Claus was a fairly new character, mass-produced toys were still nascent, and other children's tales like Grimm's fairy tales (1812) were well-established.

The book is certainly rich with cultural referents, biblical overtones, and psychologically deep characters. To equate it as a work of literature to Proust's REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST (as Paul Auster has done), however, goes too far.

*

WHY I READ THIS BOOK: Many years ago I read Paul Auster's THE INVENTION OF SOLITUDE, a moving meditation on fatherhood. In it he wrote about Collodi's Pinocchio, and ever since I had it in mind to read the original version. In 2009, Geoffrey Brock published a new English translation, which I saw at Elliott Bay Books, with favorable comments from the staff. When I saw the same book at half-price at University Bookstore, and already in a phase of re-reading Auster, I picked it up at last.

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Jul 06, 2010

John rated it

· review of another edition

Most people are familiar with the story of Pinocchio from the light-as-air Disney version. Though Disney's version retains the essential metaphor of transformation from a block of wood into a real boy,

Collodi's original tale, in contrast to the Disney version, takes a darker tack, leading the puppet through a terrifying world where one's evil nature results in possible death at every turn. The book drives this point home as Pinocchio encounters numerous evil individuals over a long per...more

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Jun 20, 2009

Matt rated it

· review of another edition

I said to a friend earlier today that after reading Don Quixote last year, Huck Finn earlier this summer and now this I'm partial to stories about travelling manchildren. I suppose Savage Detectives falls into this category as well.

The back copy for this book seems to draw a line in the sand when it comes to the Disney adaptation of this book, with Collodi's original on one side and Disney's version on the other. I was happy to see in Rebecca West's afterword that, while she acknowle...more

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