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The Book of Sorrows (Chauntecleer the Rooster #2)
This sequel to the Book of the Dun Cow is a moving allegory of the Christian Life.
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
August 6th 1996
by Zondervan
(first published 1985)
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I discovered this book in a grocery store bargain bin when I was a kid. I remembering thinking the cover looked neat, and the description on the dust cover spoke of talking animals and a war of good against evil. It was right up my alley -- but I had no idea what I was in for. Finding this book was one of those moments I'll never forget.
I've read and re-read this book year after year, for the last two decades. It's been a constant companion. I don't think I've ever loved characters quite this m...more
I've read and re-read this book year after year, for the last two decades. It's been a constant companion. I don't think I've ever loved characters quite this m...more
This sequel to The Book of the Dun Cow is almost as good as the original, featuring a frightening war between good and evil as represented by Chauntecleer the Rooster and Wyrm. Yes, this is fantasy fiction, but beautifully written and spellbinding at times.
This sequel is darker than the first book, due to Wyrm taking center stage. The reader feels for the Rooster and his bouts of self-doubt. At times it takes on a Homeric tone, one mirroring the same Cold War reality of the 1980s. I certainly id...more
This sequel is darker than the first book, due to Wyrm taking center stage. The reader feels for the Rooster and his bouts of self-doubt. At times it takes on a Homeric tone, one mirroring the same Cold War reality of the 1980s. I certainly id...more
As the title would indicate the sequel to The Book of the Dun Cow is not a real cheerful read. It is beautiful and the picture of the insidious nature of evil is very accurate and well drawn:
"Wyrm had been right: he could not have invaded the Animals frontally, but only by entering at the heart. There had to be complicity of one, then two, and then two thousand. They had to chose for Evil themselves and then, to protect and nourish it within, to justify their choices. Let wrong be right and righ...more
"Wyrm had been right: he could not have invaded the Animals frontally, but only by entering at the heart. There had to be complicity of one, then two, and then two thousand. They had to chose for Evil themselves and then, to protect and nourish it within, to justify their choices. Let wrong be right and righ...more
This book knocked me out. Wow. Heavy, powerful stuff. The follow up to the Book of the Dun Cow is a tale fiercely fought for redemption from evil, a tale of what it means to bear with those suffering, about never taking salvation into our own hands. The salvation in the book is beautifully rendered because it is tragically needed - when all hope seems gone. It is in these moments, where the currency of the world, where "everyone cut cuts back twice" is shown for what it is, and bearing pain inst...more
Walter Wangerin, Jr. here produces a sequel that explores the emotional, relational, and spiritual themes of its predecessor in even more depth. The book is not a children's fairy tale. It is sometimes graphic, but always powerful. I sometimes laughed and sometimes had to turn away and catch my breath. On several occasions I nearly threw the book across the room. The Book of Sorrows is not misnamed. It is sad, one of the saddest stories I have ever read, and one of the most lingering. You can't...more
The tragic sequel to Book of the Dun Cow explores more intimately the nature of evil, trespass, and confession. The book is more inward-focused than its predecessor and thus more willing to explore the emotions of protagonists. Wangerin creates a compelling page turner, even if it is more "adult." Some earlier portions of the book become somewhat syrupy in describing the passions and feelings of the characters. All in all, the work is a worthwhile read that provides a cathartic conclusion to a p...more
Hmm. I liked reading this book, and it often moved me to tears. But thinking about it now- it just wasn't what the Dun Cow was. it took a long time for the story to unfold, and spends a lot of time of wallowing in that sorrow for which it is named. It is indeed an unending march of sorrows. And once again Wangerin managed to take human truths and wrap them into a story about animals- animals which struggle mightily with themselves and each other and ultimately, against the very nature of evil (w...more
[SPOILER] This sequel to The Book of the Dun Cow takes place in the time after the great war between the animals ruled by Chauntecleer, and Wyrm, the serpentine, subterranean embodiment of cosmic evil. It is unbelievably bleak and difficult to read. The stench of death runs through the book. Even though Wyrm had been defeated in the first novel, and is in fact dead, evil is still very powerful and seeps into the fabric of society, taking control of even Chauntecleer. All the way through chapter...more
It was not quite as good as the Book of the Dun Cow, but it was still an intriguing book. It's a hard book to describe considering that characters are all animals led by a rooster that fight against the evil force named Wyrm. Believe me, I tried to explain both books to my wife, and I quickly gave way to a broad, "it's just really good."
The writing is strong and some of the climatic points in the story were stirring and vivid. Other parts dragged, and maybe that contributes to a book on sufferin...more
The writing is strong and some of the climatic points in the story were stirring and vivid. Other parts dragged, and maybe that contributes to a book on sufferin...more
it definitely lives up to its title. though beautiful in its prose, it just seems to drag on, too often rehashing the same pessimistic emotions over and over and over and over and...over. wake up, Chauntecleer! snap out of it already! furthermore, the ending was anticlimactic and too sentimental, though it is still worth reading. excellent characterization.
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All I can say yet is that it is as good as Dun Cow. Also that one would definately have to read Dun Cow before touching this--it would make sense I guess, but it wouldn't have the emotional power with the opening chapters (you wouldn't know how these characters connected, nor the distress at not having a home--)
I finished this in one big gulp, and I can confidently say that there hasn't been a set of books that had so many Characters I loved since Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Loo...more
I finished this in one big gulp, and I can confidently say that there hasn't been a set of books that had so many Characters I loved since Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Loo...more
I quite liked the Book of the Dun Cow. But the sequel...
Ugh. Depressing. Depressing in a particularly icky insidious way. The only book I’ve ever read that makes me wish I could have the memory of it surgically removed from my brain and replaced with a note saying Do. Not. Read.
Ugh. Depressing. Depressing in a particularly icky insidious way. The only book I’ve ever read that makes me wish I could have the memory of it surgically removed from my brain and replaced with a note saying Do. Not. Read.
The Book of the Dun Cow is one of my favorites. I anxiously awaited a sequel. I was terribly disappointed with The Book of Sorrows. Nothing but depressing. I was looking for Good to triumph over evil somehow or some way. It never did. This book was just dark and depressing.
Not a cheerful read, but it was very meaningful to me. I came to this sequel many years after reading "Dun Cow," and I'm glad it worked that way, as my additional life experiences helped me to appreciate the book more than I would have as a teenager.
Wow. If I could give this book more stars, I would. An impressive story here, told in a way that feels as close to scripture as any other thing I've read. Wangerin really has a feel for the struggle between good and evil, and the pernicious ways pride afflicts those who think they are doing the right thing -- but discover they've done it all for the wrong reason.
Wangerin is also almost Dickensian in the way he is able to create characters and weave them into a story. Ferric Coyote and his relati...more
Wangerin is also almost Dickensian in the way he is able to create characters and weave them into a story. Ferric Coyote and his relati...more
What happens after bad things happen. This is a great cautionary tale for those who do not take evil seriously and a great encouragement for those ready to suffer to doing so.
Wangerin doesn't pull punches. The title is quite fitting. Like The Book of the Dun Cow, he has written a story that is deeply true and very moving. Yes, the story is a fictional tale of animals, and yet this is how the world is; this is how we are. Evil is real and subtle and cruel, and love meets us in sadness with healing, yet only if we will have it.
Not quite as good as the first in the series,
but you really want to know what happens to the animals,
and the world they call their own.
but you really want to know what happens to the animals,
and the world they call their own.
A beautiful fable about much more than a rooster and his kingdom of animals. It is an epic battle against good and the evil that threatens to come out of the bowels of the earth and infiltrate the land with stench and eternal winter and discord. Forgiveness conquers all!
This, with Book of the Dun Cow, is brilliant allegory by a master author. Wangerin at his best.
While not as good as The Book of the Dun Cow either in terms of plot or theme, Wagnerin still delivers a readable and enjoyable story.
Unfortunately, there's not much more that I can say without giving away plot points, so read for yourself. Just be aware that it does in fact live up to its title...
Unfortunately, there's not much more that I can say without giving away plot points, so read for yourself. Just be aware that it does in fact live up to its title...
the book was powerful in some ways, but very sad. a difficult book to read for sure. i think many of the images are powerful but i found myself walking away from it more saddened than anything else, even with the redemptive elements to it. i guess maybe that's what i should have expected from the title.
Loved the Book of the Dun Cow. The sequel...not so much.
Wow, wow, wow. Must read.
Properly titled, the Book of Sorrows is deeply sad--sadness present both in struggling in a hurt, sinful world and being unable to escape taking part in hurting others. An unlikely hope runs through the narritive in the unfolding of meek characters, and meekness itself is more fully worked into the imagination than I have come across in any other story. It was a slow read--always interesting but sometimes too sad to dwell on for too long--but I took alot away from it. I'd like to read it again.
Chauntecleer needed a therapist, not a dysfunctional hen.
this one hits so close to home.
it makes me believe again.
it makes me believe again.
This sequel to Book of the Dun Cow is equally as well written, but a bit more sorrowful, than its predecessor. It ends with a great lesson in forgiveness and redemption, but expect to cry through the last 50 pages or so. I found it amazing that a book whose main characters are roosters, hens, and a family of foxes could be so moving.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I loved how Wangerin wrote it, but story itself is a little disturbing. The characters are strong and "lovable/ hate-able." The importance of the setting is striking, and the repetition of phrases brings a poetic sound to the work. Overall, I liked it, but I wouldn't reread it.
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Walter Wangerin Jr. is widely recognized as one of the most gifted writers writing today on the issues of faith and spirituality. Starting with the renowned Book of the Dun Cow, Wangerin's writing career has encompassed most every genre: fiction, essay, short story, children's story, meditation, and biblical exposition. His writing voice is immediately recognizable, and his fans number in the mill...more
More about Walter Wangerin Jr....
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