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20th out of 155 books
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61 voters
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The Thirteen Clocks
by
James Thurber,
Marc Simont , Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)
Once upon a time, in a gloomy castle on a lonely hill, where there were thirteen clocks that wouldn’t go, there lived a cold, aggressive Duke, and his niece, the Princess Saralinda. She was warm in every wind and weather, but he was always cold. His hands were as cold as his smile, and almost as cold as his heart. He wore gloves when he was asleep, and he wore gloves when ...more
Hardcover, 128 pages
Published
July 29th 2008
by New York Review of Books
(first published 1950)
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Oh my god, "The 13 Clocks" is genius. How did this book stay off my radar for so long? Who can I blame? I only heard of the book because Neil Gaiman wrote an introduction (I think) to a new edition in which he highly praises "13 Clocks". I ordered a copy from the library (an older copy, without the Gaiman introduction...our library system doesn't have the new edition yet) and I read the entire text in about an hour, maybe a little less. "13 Clocks" reads like a...more
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"Once upon a time, in a gloomy castle on a lonely hill, where there were thirteen clocks that wouldn't go, there lived a cold, aggressive Duke, and his niece, the Princess Saralinda..."
This was a fast and fun romp. One part wicked to two parts whimsy, it's a book to delight all ages. Children will love the story, and adults will enjoy the more sophisticated humor and word play. If you know anything about James Thurber, (or maybe even if you don't), you'll appreciate how muc...more
This was a fast and fun romp. One part wicked to two parts whimsy, it's a book to delight all ages. Children will love the story, and adults will enjoy the more sophisticated humor and word play. If you know anything about James Thurber, (or maybe even if you don't), you'll appreciate how muc...more
Carolyn Cantwell introduced me to this book. She was a concert pianist headed for law school, majoring in American literature. I was a pre-med student fascinated with technology, dissecting fetal pigs in the kitchen. I loved poetry, folk and rock and didn't read books. I looked things up and read the funny papers. I challenged her to find a book that could hold my attention to the end. She took on my cutural development as a project and gave me Thirteen Clocks.
I enjoyed the pictures ...more
I enjoyed the pictures ...more
Damn, Thurber's a genius in this one. Read, my friend, and witness. The deliciously evil Duke who has stopped time in its tracks, who slits people "from guggle to zatch." The sly alliteration and delightful wordplay. The intentional tweaking and inversion of tired fairy-tale standards.
"...They came and tried and failed and disappeared and never came again. And some, as I have said, were slain, for using names that start with X, or dropping spoons, or wearing rings...more
"...They came and tried and failed and disappeared and never came again. And some, as I have said, were slain, for using names that start with X, or dropping spoons, or wearing rings...more
This is certainly a fantasy book from the 50s. It reminds me very much of all the old 50s children books that were in my grandparents' house in California, old books that had been my mother's when she was a little girl. This is partly so because of the illustrations by Marc Simont, who's style is very much like just about any other children's book from the 40s and 50s that I remember reading. In fact, I'm sure he illustrated at least a handful of those very books I remember from my visits to ...more
The copy that I read was a renewal copyright of 1990 which is the copyright of the illustrations, too. Each chapter begins with a large, decorative initial letter. The book is filled with prose, poetry and made up words. There is a definite plot, but it seems secondary to the style and tone of the book which seems to be the primary element. The illustrations are strewn throughout the book. Most are fairly simple done in black and blue ink. Some take up most of one page and have more detail and c...more
James Thurber's The Thirteen Clocks is an allegorical fairy tale for adults that primarily showcases Thurber's wit and mischievous wordplay. Although it's ostensibly about an evil Duke who keeps his niece, the Princess Saralinda locked in his cold dark castle, where time has been stopped by his own sword, and feeds her potential suitors to his geese, I don't recommend it as a bedtime story to your six-year-old unless you want them to turn out like me. Thanks dad! I mean that. The 13 Clocks is ...more
A timeless story of bravery, wizardry, and true love triumphing over evil, written in a delightfully Thurberian style that will appeal to readers of all ages."
Summary (SPL): With the help of his magical protector, the Golux, Prince Zorn performs impossible tasks to win the hand of Princess Saralinda.
Library Journal: "[In] James Thurber's grown-up fairy tale... the cold Duke of Coffin Castle, who was 'even colder than he thought he was,' holds his 'niece' captive...more
Summary (SPL): With the help of his magical protector, the Golux, Prince Zorn performs impossible tasks to win the hand of Princess Saralinda.
Library Journal: "[In] James Thurber's grown-up fairy tale... the cold Duke of Coffin Castle, who was 'even colder than he thought he was,' holds his 'niece' captive...more
This is probably one of my favorite children's books ever. The dialogue is so witty. The characters are so strange... and just so you know, Neil Gaiman and I agree. :)
"It's one of the great kids' books of the last century. It may be the best thing Thurber ever wrote. It's certainly the most fun that anybody can have reading anything aloud." -Neil Gaiman
Read it!!!
"It's one of the great kids' books of the last century. It may be the best thing Thurber ever wrote. It's certainly the most fun that anybody can have reading anything aloud." -Neil Gaiman
Read it!!!
This is my all-time favorite family bedtime book. I read it to all of us when my son was young, and we enjoyed it so much that we went through it again and the neighbors sat in on it. It's a great book for reading aloud--funny, absurd,rhythmic, wise--and it has some lovely quotes that we've found useful in everyday life. Now my son has read it to his wife and daughter... We may do it again when that granddaughter is a bit older.
"...at least, that's logic as *I* know and use it,"...more
"...at least, that's logic as *I* know and use it,"...more
As Thurber admits in his foreword, he revised and re-revised this many times. And he wrote it late in life. Compared to earlier, fresher pieces, it is over-worked and overly-ambitious. But it's still Thurber and it's still wonderful. The basic plot of a Prince sent on a quest to win the right to marry the Princess, pretty good. The details, though - ah... The language - oh...
Consider that the quest is to find 1,000 jewels in nine and ninety hours on a rocky island which has already ...more
Consider that the quest is to find 1,000 jewels in nine and ninety hours on a rocky island which has already ...more
When I was in high school, I had a speech teacher who was—how shall I put this gently?—eccentric. At least, that was how we students viewed him. Looking back through adult eyes, I would be more harsh and call him screwed up. But I have not walked in his shoes and so will not spend this review lambasting him.
Rather, I bring up the oddities of his character because it explains so perfectly the fascination he had with an author by the name of James Thurber, his idol and model. We spent ma...more
Rather, I bring up the oddities of his character because it explains so perfectly the fascination he had with an author by the name of James Thurber, his idol and model. We spent ma...more
I don't get the hype.
Look, this was released by Dell Yearling, so theoretically it is a children's novel. Children do not know who James Thurber is, do not usually care about whether or not a story is philosophical or Thurberian, and while they do enjoy wordplay and fun, aren't placing as high a value on it as the sheer delight a story involves. Seeing this on the back cover was my first warning, and the book confirms my right to be.
The writing is like a sword that is so ...more
Look, this was released by Dell Yearling, so theoretically it is a children's novel. Children do not know who James Thurber is, do not usually care about whether or not a story is philosophical or Thurberian, and while they do enjoy wordplay and fun, aren't placing as high a value on it as the sheer delight a story involves. Seeing this on the back cover was my first warning, and the book confirms my right to be.
The writing is like a sword that is so ...more
Written nearly sixty years ago, James Thurber's children's book The 13 Clocks seems remarkably modern even by today's standards. It has a dark edge (Hence the Niel Gaiman introduction to the NYRB edition) that reminds one of both Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket - and like both these authors Thurber does not dumb down his prose. There is a kind of sophisticated sub-text running below the tale making it the kind of book even more likely to appeal to adults than kids.
Every great fairy-tal...more
Every great fairy-tal...more
This book is rife with lyrical prose, and clever wordplay. The text is frilly and fun. But honestly, the contents stink. This is an overly contrived post-modern examination of a fairy tale, that interchangeably winks and pats itself on the back. As I was reading it, I kept wishing that it would accept what it was and embrace itself, rather it just feels like some hipster kid that is wearing an ironic metal t-shirt because he secretly loves metal but can't fully allow it to define genuinely d...more
I wasn't sure what to expect when I got this book. It is definitely a children's chapter book; it took me maybe 20 minutes to read. Overall though it was a very good read.
This book tells the somewhat classic tale of a princess locked up by her evil father. Any price who comes to woo the princess is given an impossible task to perform, in order to win her hand in marriage. That is until a minstrel comes along and with the help of an elven/dwarfish prankster, tricks the old king in his o...more
This book tells the somewhat classic tale of a princess locked up by her evil father. Any price who comes to woo the princess is given an impossible task to perform, in order to win her hand in marriage. That is until a minstrel comes along and with the help of an elven/dwarfish prankster, tricks the old king in his o...more
Well, I don't know if I'd agree with Neil Gaiman's introduction that this is "the best book in the world", but it IS really fun, really creepy, and wonderfully crafted. A grim fairytale, yet with humor and clever wordplay - covering all the bases that makes a juvenile book readable and memorable. Some quotations, for flavor:
...more
"The castle clocks were murdered," said the Duke. "I killed time here myself one snowy morning. You still can see the old brown stains
The 13 Clocks by James Thurber is, to borrow from his own words "something very much like nothing anyone had ever seen before". No wonder Neil Gaiman selected that bit of text as an epigram prior to the Introduction he wrote for the new publication of the book by The New York Review Children's Collection. Here, the epigram in full:
<big>  Something very much like nothing anyone had ever seen before came trotting down the stairs and crossed the room.
  "...more
<big>  Something very much like nothing anyone had ever seen before came trotting down the stairs and crossed the room.
  "...more
I can't believe I never read this as a child. Neil Gaiman calls it the best book ever written in his introduction and it's definitely up there.
It's like this combination of Dr. Seuss and Scary Stories to Read in the Dark and a fairy tale, and I loved it for all those things - the made up words and the woman who cried jewels (but never cried), and the agent of the devil that moved like monkeys and sounded like rabbits screaming, and punished evildoers who had not done enough evil.
...more
It's like this combination of Dr. Seuss and Scary Stories to Read in the Dark and a fairy tale, and I loved it for all those things - the made up words and the woman who cried jewels (but never cried), and the agent of the devil that moved like monkeys and sounded like rabbits screaming, and punished evildoers who had not done enough evil.
...more
It is books like this that make me wish for a sixth star, reserved for only the top 0.5% of one's books. It hardly seems fair to reduce the ratings of all my other books because of the excellence of this one.
The Thirteen Clocks is a fairy tale, for both young and old. I t is especially nice to read out loud. The book is full of wordplay, and creatures like the Todal: "An agent of the devil, sent to punish evil-doers for having done less evil than they should."
...more
The Thirteen Clocks is a fairy tale, for both young and old. I t is especially nice to read out loud. The book is full of wordplay, and creatures like the Todal: "An agent of the devil, sent to punish evil-doers for having done less evil than they should."
...more
Hey, this book was great. It's perfect for young readers, but definitely deep enough for a grown-up to read, preferably on a Sunday afternoon, perhaps in bed or in a coffeeshop. The illustrations by Marc Simont are certainly retro, but have a fresh, lively feel. Thurber's wordplay is inventive, but not so much so that it steals the focus from the plot. The story itself is a combination of predictable (which is only right in a fairy tale) and surprising, naive and self-aware. His hero is not...more
Adam
rated it
So richly imaginative, and positively brimming with wit and humorous surprises--if I had to pick one book from American children's literature that was clearly on a level with Alice in Wonderland for the sheer pleasure it gives, this would likely be that book. One notable difference, though, is that The 13 Clocks can be read in one long sitting. Still, that only means that I'm likely to re-read it more frequently than many children's books.
Some favorite dialogue from the book:
...more
Some favorite dialogue from the book:
...more
the begining gave me hope, and the end left me bitter. the 13 clocks started off well, then meandered every which way. there was no real character development. it was supposed to be philosophical, but i found it convoluted. the author imployed too many tortuous windings and improbable circumstances to get everything to work out. the end was rather obvious but still a bit vague. and the occasional rhyming annoyed me.
Funny, surprising, lyrical writing. Thurber's humor is dark, hilarious, and weird, and I very much enjoyed Simont's illustration, but plot-wise, the ending was a liiiiiittle too rushed. One of the things I most admire about Thurber is how clever he is. The jester in Many Moons? Smart, inventive guy. The Golux was pretty much the same dude here, and he said some pretty smart stuff, so I expected the solution to the frozen clocks to be something I would really sit and go "ahh!" over, lik...more
I read this on Neil Gaiman's recommendation, on Halloween night. Gaiman recorded a portion of it which was posted on Barnes & Noble's website, so we listened to the beginning bit he did, and then I read the rest of the book aloud. It was a really odd surprising book. I don't agree with Gaiman that it's 'probably the best book ever', but it was strange and fascinating. When we were done with the story, all I could do was laugh because it was just so strange and thought-provoking, which John j...more
This is James Thurber's foray into the world of fantasy, and although it's a short story, it's a gem, for both children and adults. The language is classic Thurber, with just the right seasoning of tongue in cheek, and the illustrations are perfect for the text. Highly recommended for everyone, and particularly fun to read aloud either by yourself or to an audience!
Very enjoyable story! It's part children's classic, part fairy tale/fantasy and the rest who-knows-what, but who cares?! Clever rhyme and innuendo throughout make for a delightful and insightful little diversion. Marc Simont's illustrations, the texture of the cover, even the lettering and paper of this edition take me back to my childhood. Reading The Thirteen Clocks was a full sensory experience for me and one I immediately wanted to share with others from the same generation.
...more
...more
Sara
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
EVERYONE
Recommended to Sara by:
my father read it to me
This is probably my all-time favorite book. It's meant for children, but for goodness' sake don't let that slow you down!
It's written to be read aloud. Read it to your cat if you need to so that you can appreciate the beautiful, elegant use of language, meter, and tone in this book.
It's written to be read aloud. Read it to your cat if you need to so that you can appreciate the beautiful, elegant use of language, meter, and tone in this book.
As I began reading this book, I realized that I've read it before. The simple (yet somehow vibrant) illustrations were too familiar, even though I didn't remember the story itself.
Overall, I kind of enjoyed this book. It had a very simple plot of a miserly Duke creating impossible tasks for his niece's suitors. The book is primarly focused around a prince that tries for the hand of the princess and is aided by a mysterious imp. The fairy-tale writing style was very charming.
...more
Overall, I kind of enjoyed this book. It had a very simple plot of a miserly Duke creating impossible tasks for his niece's suitors. The book is primarly focused around a prince that tries for the hand of the princess and is aided by a mysterious imp. The fairy-tale writing style was very charming.
...more
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Thurber was born in Columbus, Ohio to Charles L. Thurber and Mary Agnes (Mame) Fisher Thurber. Both of his parents greatly influenced his work. His father, a sporadically employed clerk and minor politician who dreamed of being a lawyer or an actor, is said to have been the inspiration for the small, timid protagonist typical of many of his stories. Thurber described his mother as a "born com...more
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“Remember laughter. You'll need it even in the blessed isles of Ever After.”
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“I can feel a thing I cannot touch and touch a thing I cannot feel. The first is sad and sorry, the second is your heart.”
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