The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker by Louis Sachar

Oct 17, 2011 Jo rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, ya, oh-how-we-laugh

“I was beginning to get concerned by falling pianos.”

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Well.... that was a book about Bridge.

High Points.
So, I feel like I need to explain my low point already and you’ve not even read it because it does eventually lead into a high point. Even though the Bridge thing completely went over my head, I absolutely love that Mr Sachar wrote this book knowing full well that a lot of his readers will be like… um, WHAT?
I had no idea what was happening for the majority of this...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Cara rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Bridge addicts

Shelves: 2010, male-protagonist, realistic-fiction

Ok so this is definitely your book if you want to OD on bridge. Seriously, there is so much bridge talk in here (probably half of the book and I'm not exaggerating), but despite that there is a touching story here among all the cards.

Alton is seventeen and heading into the summer before his senior year and hasn't made any many plans. Things are shaken up a bit when Uncle Lester (aka Trapp who is filthy rich) ask Alton to be his cardturner for the summer. Apparently his other cardturner Toni (gir...more Ok so this is definitely your book if you want to OD on bridge. Seriously, there is so much bridge talk in here (probably half of the book and I'm not exaggerating), but despite that there is a touching story here among all the cards.

Alton is seventeen and heading into the summer before his senior year and hasn't made any many plans. Things are shaken up a bit when Uncle Lester (aka Trapp who is filthy rich) ask Alton to be his cardturner for the summer. Apparently his other cardturner Toni (girl from a supposed crazy family) is fired when she questioned Trapp if he was sure he wanted to play a certain card. Trapp is blind and has to have someone tell him his cards and place them down. Easy enough for Alton, but just imagine having to memorize all those cards? It makes my head dizzy just thinking about it. This all comes at a time when Alton is still healing from his breakup with Katie and dealing that she is going out with his best friend Cliff. Then other family issue arise that make Alton's situation even more sticky. It will be a summer that Alton will not soon forget.

Sachar has a distinct writing voice. He acknowledges that you are in fact reading the story and always give sidenotes like his talking to the reader. I loved the style and plan on reading Holes.I actually laughed a good deal throughout the book, but I think the ongoing explanations of bridge it what kind of killed the story for me. He does warn you ahead of time that he will be giving explanations and even puts a little picture of a whale to warn you, but being curious I would read through it anyway. He did give good explanations and it would be hard to read a story where you don't get what was going on. In reality I don't think he could of written the book any other way, but it really hindered character development. I did get a good sense of the characters, but they seemed to be just out of grasp to be fully realized characters. I didn't like how we don't see how the relationship between Alton and his friend Cliff turned out. I would have dropped Cliff like a hot potatoe, but I'm me and Alton I guess has a more forgiving nature.

Overall I did learn a lot of bridge terms and the basic concept. It reminded me of spades but WAY more complicated. You could tell the author wrote the story to enlighten younger readers about this dying sport and hope to maybe hook a couple of people to this game. Hopefully he does because it does seem like a cool community to be a part of, too bad I wouldn't be too into it. Suggested to readers who really love bridge, card games or chess.(less)

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Feb 10, 2013 Zen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

The Cardturner is a story about the game of Bridge. It features a cast of interesting characters who, if they'd had more of a chance to shine, might have made this book more likeable for me. Instead, Bridge and the various Bridge competitions steal the show, and everything else feels cut short and unresolved.

Even if you skip the optional Bridge explanations (Marked with a whale a la Moby Dick) there's really no getting around the fact that the game is the central character here — which sucks for...more The Cardturner is a story about the game of Bridge. It features a cast of interesting characters who, if they'd had more of a chance to shine, might have made this book more likeable for me. Instead, Bridge and the various Bridge competitions steal the show, and everything else feels cut short and unresolved.

Even if you skip the optional Bridge explanations (Marked with a whale a la Moby Dick) there's really no getting around the fact that the game is the central character here — which sucks for the narrator, Alton, because I genuinely liked him from the start! If you're thinking of giving this book a try, you will probably like him too!

Alton drives like a maniac, tries his very best to be smooth when he's often the furthest thing from it, and always aims to do right by everyone, a value which he developed in spite of his parents and questionable best friend, who aren't the greatest people. (His mother is, however, thoroughly entertaining as a character, although she doesn't think much of Bridge.)

It's sort of like Bridge decides each character's worth in this card-turning world. People who like Bridge are good; people who dislike Bridge are ignorant, or greedy for inheritance money, or should just stick to games that rely on muscle memory; and people who are/were legendary at Bridge are the greatest of all, in a way that we can comprehend only about as much as a dog can understand global news on the radio, even when an atlas is provided. (I'm being terribly vague here, but I'm trying not to give away too much of the story while also paying tribute to the cleverness that fills the delightfully Bridge-less portions of this book.)

Again, without giving anything away, the conclusion felt really weak. Once Bridge had its time in the spotlight, all the other elements of the story were left hanging. In the interest of being spoiler-free I will not fully type out the questions that begged asking, but my final reaction was a resounding "But how—? And why—? So did they—?"

The one question I did not ask was "And then what happened?" because the answer to that was clear: and then they kept playing Bridge.

Another thing that really dragged the book down for me was that, peppered throughout Alton's narration, there were thoughts along the lines of "If I were a better author I would have done [such and such.]" It served to set up the book as a story being written by Alton after the events, but was it really necessary? I can't stand that sort of gratuitous fourth wall-breaking if it isn't done smoothly, or in a way that contributes to the enjoyment of the story, which in this case, it did not. It just pulled me out of the scenes and made me question the actual author, which I found annoying. I generally prefer my disbelief suspended, please and thank you.

Still, in spite of my low rating and various qualms... I wouldn't tell anyone not to read this book. If you're interested in it, you will probably not regret reading it. It's pretty short, succinct, and as I've said: the characters! There will probably be things you like about it, and things you don't. In my case, the negatives won out. All things considered, "it was ok."(less)

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Oct 07, 2010 Noah rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Cardturner
Is Alton a National Champion, or a Helper of One?
In The cardturner, by Louis Sachar, Alton Richards is a teenage boy with a very rich blind great-uncle. All his life, his mom has wanted him to be nice and grateful towards this uncle. But now, she wants in on his will. Alton takes his uncle to a bridge tournament and is his cardturner, his eyes for the tournament. Then when Alton’s dad gets fired, he is stuck as the cardturner to get in the will. As the book goes on, and as it gets...more The Cardturner
Is Alton a National Champion, or a Helper of One?
In The cardturner, by Louis Sachar, Alton Richards is a teenage boy with a very rich blind great-uncle. All his life, his mom has wanted him to be nice and grateful towards this uncle. But now, she wants in on his will. Alton takes his uncle to a bridge tournament and is his cardturner, his eyes for the tournament. Then when Alton’s dad gets fired, he is stuck as the cardturner to get in the will. As the book goes on, and as it gets better, so does Alton’s interest in bridge. Then Alton’s uncle decides to enter the national bridge tournament. Will Uncle Trapp win with the help of his cardturner? One theme in The Cardturner is that when you don’t want to do something, but you stick with it, good things may happen. This is because unexpected events happen all the time, you might meet someone you like, and you may grow to like it.

Unexpected things happen all the time. You never know what is coming. For example, he is with his uncle one day and it is after the tournament is over. He is driving Uncle Trapp home from it and then his car broke down. After they called the car shop, his uncle decided that since Alton needed a good car to drive him, he would buy him a new car. His car broke down so he got a new one. His car breaking down was an unexpected event and what came from it was a new car. Another thing is when Trapp played a few rounds with Toni Castaneda, which I will say more about later. This was an unexpected event since he thought Trapp was playing with Gloria like usual. This lead to a good relationship. Another example is how Trapp did not leave them any money, but instead, paid all their bills including their mortgage, and their car payments. He then left the rest of the money to charity, when they thought that someone else like Toni’s family would get the money. These unexpected events make the book great.

People come and go so if you stick with an activity, you’re bound to meet someone new that you like. Take Trapp again. He turned from an old unlikable curmudgeon, to a brother like figure. “I didn’t cry. I just felt numb.” (p. 211) Before they did bridge together, Alton would not have minded if his uncle died because he didn’t know Trapp very well. He would have went to the funeral not caring much but not with any feelings. But because he is sad and numb, it shows that Alton really cares about his uncle and is very sad about his death. When you are numb, you must be very stunned about the news and he couldn’t handle it, which is why later he broke down in tears. Another person is Trapp’s bridge partner Gloria. She ended up as an almost cousin relationship with Alton. I mean this because they are not super close but they grew used to seeing each other every week and they had a good time together. Sometimes they would talk about Trapp or just life in general, which is what I do with my cousins. It’s very easy to stick to your same schedule and keep the same friends, but getting new friends are important too. If you try new things, then you will meet new people and your friendship circle will broaden.

Finally, you make grow to like that activity. It’s like the saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. First impressions aren’t always the correct ones. When people think about bridge, they, like Alton, think of older men sitting at a table being totally serious and being no nonsense men. But as Alton got used to playing alongside his uncle, he realized that bridge takes a lot of skill and brainpower and it is extremely addicting and fun. Then once he started playing it for himself, he realized that it had been cool and fun to beat the older men and woman and it was one of his favorite things to do. My final example is when he met Toni for the first time when they were six. “Toni was about six years old. She ran up to me. She covered her ears with her hands, her elbows sticking out, and shouted, ‘Shut up! Leave me alone!’ and then she ran away.” (p. 6) After this incident, Alton thought Toni was crazy and weird but as the story went on and he saw her one-day and she was beautiful, he tried talking to her and found that she was a normal and cool person. They became great friends. After he thought she was crazy for 10 years, he finds out that she’s perfectly normal and nice. This shows that things can be different then you would expect from your first meeting.

One theme in The Cardturner is that when you don’t want to do something, but you stick with it, good things may happen. This is because unexpected events happen all the time, you might meet someone you like, and you may grow to like it. When I was in fourth grade I was debating on whether to keep playing travel soccer or not because I thought that practices were hard. I decided to stick to it and see what happened. Soccer is now a huge part of my life and some of my best friends were made from playing it. That is how I met my soon to be haven classmates, and now, my soon to be ETHS classmates. Also, some great stories have come from soccer games, which I am glad to have. In this book, I learned a few things. First, I learned how to play bridge, since throughout the book; there are little info sections. Second, I learned to look beyond the first impressions that people make and to stick with things that I don’t particularly enjoy at the moment.
(less)

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Mar 08, 2012 Raya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, young-adult, read-good-feel-good, contemporary, realistic-fiction, one-of-a-kind

What I knew about bridge prior to reading this book: it involves cards.

What I learned about bridge after reading this book: it involves cards, and Louis Sachar possesses a fierce, enthusiastic love for it.

The Cardturner discusses bridge, a game my brain fails to understand. I do not do well in comprehending sports, and I say “sports,” because bridge — as Alton (the main character) describes (and as capable I am of understanding) — is a mental sport. Bridge is a mindspin of how cards are played,...more

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Jun 01, 2013 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a way to encourage my 13 year old reluctant reader to remember that she really loves reading, I'm reading with her. She finished The Cardturner before me, but I caught up quickly---Like the other Louis Sachar novel I've read, Holes, the brisk pace, interesting characters, and just-odd-enough story line make it great fun. The main character, Alton, a seventeen year old caught between his parents' financial troubles (mostly brought on by their own attitudes, from what I can tell) and loyalty hi...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Kyra Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

i love how there is a real life situation in this book. this book is very down to earth. there isn't some UN-realistic situation where they get launched into some crazy world where he always gets the girl and has a lot of money and gets all his dreams. this is a book about a boy who doesn't really know what he wants out of life and he has a typical annoying mother that pressures him into kissing up to an uncle he doesn't really know who has a mysterious past and isn't very keen on sharing it. h...more i love how there is a real life situation in this book. this book is very down to earth. there isn't some UN-realistic situation where they get launched into some crazy world where he always gets the girl and has a lot of money and gets all his dreams. this is a book about a boy who doesn't really know what he wants out of life and he has a typical annoying mother that pressures him into kissing up to an uncle he doesn't really know who has a mysterious past and isn't very keen on sharing it. he lets everyone start rumors about things they have no idea about and he lets Alton's mom look dumb. even though she didn't go around saying these things to his face i think he knew what she was like on the inside. only concerned about his money and such.
anyways, as the book continues you see Alton make these relationships with these older people and a strange girl named Toni. the author doesn't reveal how Toni feels about Alton really and its kind of frustrating because you want Alton to stomp on his best friend and just get the girl for once (Alton girlfriend (Katie) broke up with him to go out with cliff, Alton's best friend), but that doesn't really happen. cliff ends up being Toni's boyfriend half way through the book and they stay together. i think Toni likes Cliff more than Alton through out the book but then they get a certain connection after uncle Lester dies and he can hear his uncles voice just like she can hear Annabel's and she all of sudden really likes him and hints at it at the worse time possible. right before one of the rounds and then Alton can't hardly focus on the game. i don't really know if i like Toni as a character to be honest. anyways at the end of the book they make out and her and cliff are no longer together. cliff's and Alton's relationship is more strained than it already was by then end of the book.
his relationship with uncle Lester gets a lot stronger than it was at the beginning. i don't know if i would say they connected actually but there was a building of some sort of relationship before he passed away. Lester was hard to connect with because he was callous and prideful. he wasn't understanding and he couldn't stand being wrong. he only saw things from his point of view with Alton, and if i were Alton Lester would have hurt my feelings. i like their relationship because i think a lot of teenagers feel awkward or weird around older people. older generations are adamant towards new things like video games and tv shows and all the old people really know is how to be conservative and do old people stuff. they don't know how to connect with each other and they are able to do that through bridge.
i also like how they explain all these things about the game bridge in this book. i wouldn't consider this book a quick exciting read per say but it has a good story line and a real point to it. it teaches a little strategy and it helps if you know a little about card games also. if you know nothing about card games you are gonna be LOST through all the card junk.(less)

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Feb 27, 2013 Dorian rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-books

Alton Richards is 17 and up to now, his contact with his rich great-uncle has mostly consisted of phone calls in which, at his mother's urging, he informs Uncle Lester that "you're my favourite uncle" and "I love you lots".

But this summer, Uncle Lester hires him to be his card-turner. Uncle Lester, it transpires, is a demon bridge player. Unfortunately, he's also ill (with diabetes) and blind - which means he needs someone to tell him what cards he has in his hand, and to play them for him. And...more Alton Richards is 17 and up to now, his contact with his rich great-uncle has mostly consisted of phone calls in which, at his mother's urging, he informs Uncle Lester that "you're my favourite uncle" and "I love you lots".

But this summer, Uncle Lester hires him to be his card-turner. Uncle Lester, it transpires, is a demon bridge player. Unfortunately, he's also ill (with diabetes) and blind - which means he needs someone to tell him what cards he has in his hand, and to play them for him. And his previous card-turner committed the heinous sin of asking him "are you sure?" over one play, so now he needs a new one. And Alton knows nothing about bridge and isn't interested, so he's perfect.

And so Alton gets to actually know his great-uncle, and to like him. He also acquires an interest in bridge and learns to play (but never, ever does anything during one of his uncle's games but tell him the cards and play them). And he gets to know his predecessor in the job, another young (and female!) relation of Lester's, and he learns the truth of assorted family history that his mother has been telling nastily twisted versions of for years.

And generally it's all very nice and happy (despite the frightful mother and the moderately crap "best friend" (who doesn't seem much of a friend to me, but Alton keeps describing him so) and the vast quantities of bridge, a game I am not greatly interested in), and I found it a pretty enjoyable book.

Except for the bit where Toni (the previous card-turner) has a schizophrenia diagnosis, but believes the voice she hears to be that of her late grandmother (once Uncle Lester's bridge partner), so she doesn't take her meds.
And this is presented as a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
And yes, okay, this is instrumental in the climax of the book, and there is a distinct implication that there is actually something paranormal going on...but it just seems so irresponsible to me. I don't think the author is doing real-life people with mental illnesses any favours here. I'd have given the book three stars, but for this.(less)

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Feb 17, 2013 Kassandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was bored. I could not find a good book if my life depended on it.(it kind of did). Then I saw the Cardturner and saw the author and was like, "ok holes was great why not?" So I read it. And loved it.

Alton: he is just one of those characters you fall in love with in the very beginning of the book. What I really liked about this book was that almost all the characters went through considerable changes since we first met them and I really think that must happen for a book to be good. Go Alton!

Br...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Azure rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-1-12

Alton Richards has a rich uncle, who is not long for the world. Complications from diabetes has left his uncle sick and blind. Now, as it happens, this rich uncle has no heir for his vast fortune. So when Uncle Lester needs a new Cardturner so that he can continue his life-long love of bridge, Alton's mother happily volunteers Alton. But Alton is less interested in his uncle's vast fortune as the strange people and events in Uncle Lester's past. Will the mystery be resolved, and will Uncle Leste...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Manda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: stars-clouds-brain-food, oh-god-nooo-moment, smells-like-teen-spirit, new-kid-new-world, male-pov, for-love-of-nerds, family-ties, best-mentor-mentees, awesome-cool-girl, learn-new-things, your-passion-is-infectious

I'm not sure how I got the idea, but before reading the book I thought it would be about a somewhat prankster screw-up and his adventures (maybe from the title). The story, however, is surprisingly a lot smarter/nerdier and more heartwarming than that.

Alton, the main character, is a fairly normal 17-year-old boy, with pretty conniving and pessimistic parents and a strong relationship with his smart 11-year-old sister. This bond is actually one of my favourite aspects of the book. There isn't th...more I'm not sure how I got the idea, but before reading the book I thought it would be about a somewhat prankster screw-up and his adventures (maybe from the title). The story, however, is surprisingly a lot smarter/nerdier and more heartwarming than that.

Alton, the main character, is a fairly normal 17-year-old boy, with pretty conniving and pessimistic parents and a strong relationship with his smart 11-year-old sister. This bond is actually one of my favourite aspects of the book. There isn't the constant bickering or annoying dismissal that can be typical in other books. In fact, Alton regards her with the respect of someone close to his own age and introduces and encourages her enthusiasm for bridge. His great-uncle Lester Trapp (or Trapp, as he begins to call him) was another of my favourite characters. He's grumpy, he's clever, he calls Alton a "donkey" when he does something idiotic, yet he encourages Alton's "philosophical bend". (view spoiler)

The book can read like one for a slightly younger audience even though Alton himself is a junior in high school, and there isn't a great emotional range to it. However, the details regarding bridge would probably appeal only to those who find complex non-action interesting. Sachar is completely aware of this:

I realize that reading about a bridge game isn't exactly thrilling. No one's going to make a movie out of it. Bridge is like chess. A great chess player moves his pawn up one square, and for the .0001 percent of the population who understand what just happened, it was the football equivalent of intercepting a pass and running it back for a touchdown. But for the rest of us, it was still just a pawn going from a black square to a white one. Or, getting back to bridge, it was Trapp playing the six of diamonds instead of the two of clubs.

For myself, it piqued my interest in a card game I knew basically nothing about, and I now have an admiration for bridge players. While reading this book, you can definitely sense Sachar's enthusiasm for what I frankly thought was an "old-person thing", and now I wouldn't mind actually learning how to play.

Nicely done, Sachar.(less)

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Jan 10, 2013 Reny Santana added it

Reny Santana Dec.18,2012

Book review: The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

Alton Richards is an awkward teenager looking for a summer job. Instead, his mom forces him into spending time with his “favorite” uncle, Lester Trapp. He would have been fine, but his uncle is a card addict. This is an amazing book where you experience going to a completely different world of the card game bridge, falling in love, and epiphanies.

Bridge is a complex game that you play with four people, some people think its t...more Reny Santana Dec.18,2012

Book review: The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

Alton Richards is an awkward teenager looking for a summer job. Instead, his mom forces him into spending time with his “favorite” uncle, Lester Trapp. He would have been fine, but his uncle is a card addict. This is an amazing book where you experience going to a completely different world of the card game bridge, falling in love, and epiphanies.

Bridge is a complex game that you play with four people, some people think its the most boring thing in the world and so does Alton until he see’s what its really about. In Alton’s eyes, his best friend Cliff is the greatest person there is-- even when he stole Alton’s girlfriend Katie. Alton thinks about Katie every day after they break up, but then he meets Toni and forgets all about Katie. The only thing is that Alton isn’t sure if Toni is related to him or not. The thing is Alton can’t seem to get his head around all this madness.

Was Toni’s grandmother Anabel crazy, or isn't she?
Is Toni Alton’s cousin?
Will Uncle Lester give them his money or leave Alton and his family poor?
How will Alton learn to play bridge?
It’s a lot to think about.

There are a lot of things the author does well like how the character are realistic, but I think that the pace of the book is the best part only not when he’s describing bridge. Sachar has taken an idea from another book to describe bridge he uses a whale to do that. This amazing book is in Alton’s perspective and he seems to be searching for some kind of acceptance from his uncle. Alton is able to pick up on bridge pretty quickly, and his uncle makes him feel like a total idiot sometimes and underestimates him completely. These are some of the funniest moments in the book when he is expressing his frustration over knowing what was going on, and pretending like he doesn’t really care.

There are however things that are very frustrating, like that phone conversation where Toni tells Alton that she called because her grandmother told her to. I mean really are the readers supposed to assume that she meant Anabel or her grandmother that’s alive. However there is a bit of confusion about who her grandmother is besides anabel. What i don’t about his characters though is that he makes alton seem weak and not stand up to his own best friend.

I feel that Alton’s mom need’s to give Alton more independence. She need’s to stop focusing on Lester’s money and start caring about his health. She is caught up with Lester’s fortune and is faking the way Alton feels about him. She lie’s and say’s that Alton love’s him and that he his his favorite uncle. She has done all of this because she wants to be the person Lester hands down his fortune after he die’s. But what she doesn’t realize is that she really does care about him and realizes it’s too late.

I recommend this book to many readers like, those interested in a complex card game, realistic fiction, and teenage problems.(less)

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Jan 08, 2013 Salma Nuesi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Louis Sachar’s book, Holes, was excellent. It’s about teenage boys that learn to accept the consequences of being a shoplifter. Stanley, the main character, is blamed for something he didn’t do and a curse has come back to haunt him. As you probably have noticed, Sachar likes to create books with mysteries and curses. We also noticed that it always has to do with ancestors in their family that brings two kids together.

Holes isn’t the only book where Sachar connects two long lost families. In T...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Spark740 rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar is quite unlike many books I've read. For the most part that is because the book is immersed in the card game bridge, which is somewhat like hearts, I gather. It's one of those "exploration of the human condition" books. I have a feeling it would have better lived up to the expectations placed on a "teenager's guide to bridge" book, although that wouldn't have sold very well.

POINTS for:
Actually making bridge an integral part of the plot and characters. This is no...more The Cardturner by Louis Sachar is quite unlike many books I've read. For the most part that is because the book is immersed in the card game bridge, which is somewhat like hearts, I gather. It's one of those "exploration of the human condition" books. I have a feeling it would have better lived up to the expectations placed on a "teenager's guide to bridge" book, although that wouldn't have sold very well.

POINTS for:
Actually making bridge an integral part of the plot and characters. This is no amateur attempt to incorporate a fandom into one's pet novel; neither is it food for the wanting teenage soul. It's quite comprehensible even if it doesn't sparkle.

Content. There are two kisses at the very end. Otherwise it is completely clean.

The relationship fiascos. The history of the uncle's life was mysteriously and enthralling as each piece was let go bit by bit.

ANTI-POINTS for:
Too many words. Too much explaining. He made a point and then he told it to you, or he told it to you and then he made it. As a result, there was only one point where I chuckled out loud and there were many points where I knew something was supposed to be funny and it simply wasn't. There were many points where Sachar attempted to deliver an insightful truth about life. Half of those occasions, his truths weren't insightful at all; most of the remaining half, he ruined it by over-telling it. May I add it's not as if that was even congruent with his main character, a teenage boy. It made it seem like a girl because he main character was constantly analyzing everything and telling everything. Even if he is "philosophically bent"; I don't think philosophically-bent people think about simple concepts that much.

Not making me care. I didn't care at all when the uncle died. I didn't care at all about Toni or Trapp or Cliff or Katie or anyone. Their actions were all so over-analyzed or expected that I don't even know who I was supposed to care about. I just didn't.

Not making the ghost channeling thing relevant. At least a paranormal author will tell you ghosts are real and this is what they do and this is why and this is what we'll do to them. Not Sachar. Spoiler alert: MC and Toni go to play bridge nationals under the instruction of dead uncle and dead uncle's wife's sister, respectively. "Is life just a highly improbable coincidence, or does an impossible explanation make more sense?" the mc summarizes rhetorically, applying this to life, religion, and his dead uncle talking to him. But SO WHAT? The mc resolves to "turn his own cards" at the end of the novel - but he's been tuning his own cards ever since page one! He has had control of his relationships, his activity and his money ever since the beginning of the novel. Granted he doesn't want to associate with uncle Trapp but he never really does; he calls Trapp his favorite uncle after he dies, not before, when it counts.

Overall: impossible explanations and improbable events aside, The Cardturner is a unique book. However, looks like Sachar has filled in all the Holes to overflowing this time around. The novel sadly fails to be enlightening, funny, or even entertaining because the narration falls flat. And it certainly doesn't make the reader think and think again, as other reviews boast.(less)

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Oct 26, 2012 Liana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Louis Sachar has been one of my favorite authors for a very long time. I would say that I wish he published new books more frequently, but I actually just want him to keep on doing whatever he's doing, because whatever it is, it's working.

This book is about a 17-yr-old guy named Alton. This book is also about bridge, the card game. Alton is introduced to bridge when he has to help his great-uncle play in bridge tournaments because his uncle is blind and he needs someone to tell him his cards an...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Rhiannon Ryder rated it 4 of 5 stars

Growing up as the only child of a single parent I was starved for playing card games and board games. Somehow it always seemed like the greatest way to spend your free time, probably because I couldn't hold down a very interesting game of crazy eights with my stuffed animals (huge cheaters). I had day dreams of other peoples households where everyone sat around the kitchen table playing huge games of Monopoly, and was sure if I had siblings this would have been happening in my kitchen. Granted,...more Growing up as the only child of a single parent I was starved for playing card games and board games. Somehow it always seemed like the greatest way to spend your free time, probably because I couldn't hold down a very interesting game of crazy eights with my stuffed animals (huge cheaters). I had day dreams of other peoples households where everyone sat around the kitchen table playing huge games of Monopoly, and was sure if I had siblings this would have been happening in my kitchen. Granted, none of my friends (who by in large had siblings) ever seemed the slightest bit interested in board or card games and I certainly never saw evidence of big Monopoly tournaments in their kitchens, but somehow to this day it's left me with this soft spot for anything to do with cards and board games. So it was no question I wanted to read The Cardturner.

Sachar took a really unique approach to this book. He wrote it so it could be read with, or without the details on how to play Bridge. With the details you get an intricate look at how to play Bridge and maybe pick it up a bit for your own interest, without you just get the straight up story of Alton and his adventures with his uncle Lester and his sort-of cousin Toni. I personally knew nothing about how to play bridge going in, but decided to read it with all the playing details. Without a doubt some of it was over my head, but it gave me a new game to jones for in my game playing day dreaming.

Outside of the actual bridge techniques Sachar has written a really delightful story filled with a wild mix of charming cast members. Alton is completely lovable, and along with his charming sister (who are perhaps the only two redeeming members of his home), Lester, his various Bridge partners and club members as well as Toni are all folks I'd happily learn to play Bridge for. He has very believably written a story where seniors and teens not only hang out, but enjoy each others company and he's done it in such a way that he's made me distinctly jealous.

Mixed in with the Bridge lessons and Alton's experiences as a Cardturner is the mystery of his uncle Lester and Toni's grandmother Annabel. Gradually revealed as the story progresses, with the big pay off in the final scenes, it was the mystery of Lester's past that will keep readers intrigued and turning pages even if the Bridge playing isn't up their alley.

My final word is this is a great book for a wide variety of readers. If you're looking for a fun read then look no further(less)

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Mar 17, 2012 Leah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this. It's been a very long time since I've been able to pick up a new Louis Sachar book. He does well with first person narration--quite frankly, so well I am surprised he hasn't used it before.

Confession time: I kinda knew how to play bridge before reading this book but OH MY GOD it is insane. It is like chess. You might think you know chess because you remember that a knight makes an L, but listen, my brother used to play chess competitively and it is a different beast! So w...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Jean rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: golden-sower-nominee

When I tell you that I didn't know a thing about bridge before I read this book about bridge and I don't know very much more about it now that I've read it, you might think it wasn't a very good book. Wrong! This book was amazing. The fact that I had to stop multiple times and write down the page number as I came to something I wanted to come back to is evidence enough that I really, really liked this book.
Some things I particularly liked:
*The quirky (and personable) intrusive narration--very fu...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Dee rated it 2 of 5 stars

Sixteen-year-old Alton helps his blind Uncle Lester -- a bridge fanatic -- by turning cards for him at his weekly bridge games. Alton's mother hopes to inherit Lester's fortune when he dies. Alton develops a strong interest in bridge, as well as in Uncle Lester's other young protege, a pretty young woman named Toni. Family secrets and an ill-fated romance between Uncle Lester and Toni's dead grandmother add a mystery element to the plot.

I really liked Sachar's book Holes, and expected to like th...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, favorites, wishlist

I never thought I would read a book about bridge, but THE CARDTURNER proved me wrong. I found myself thinking about this book when I should have been thinking about my Anthropology midterm, and believe me, after I finished my midterm, I picked up this book and finished it as quickly as I could.

Admittedly, I only picked the book up because it was by Louis Sachar, beloved by anyone who has ever read HOLES or his WAYSIDE SCHOOL series. But the description on the book jacket was so intriguing, that

...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Kim (magicsandwiches) Lawyer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: glad-i-read-it-but-wont-reread

Alton Richard's junior summer and he has nothing to do. "I know!" say Mom and Dad, "Why don't you drive rich, ailing, old Uncle Lester to his bridge games and ingratiate yourself, thereby earning a place for our family in his will!" Not having anything else to do, Alton agrees, but he gets far more out of the experience than he ever thought: friends, love, life lessons. A really fun and thoughtful coming of age book about the game of bridge but mostly about life.

P.S. Uncle Lester's story and how...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Jillian Roth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar is told from the perspective of Alton Richards, a teenager who is trying to navigate his way through some sticky circumstances. His family is already struggling financially, but then his father loses his job, and things look a bit bleak. Alton's mother convinces him to help out his wealthy uncle, who is having complications from diabetes. Alton's mother is relying on Alton to forge a relationship with Uncle Lester, in order to gain an inheritance, when Uncle Lester...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Glenn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have never played the card game bridge before, although I think I saw people play it in a movie once. Yet this story, which delves into the game in some detail, including frequent discussion of bridge strategy and dissecting bridge hands, captured and held my interest. I loved Louis Sachar books growing up (Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Holes, Dogs Don't Tell Jokes), and this young adult novel did not disappoint. Here's my teaser:

17-year-old Alton Richards has mixed feelings about his...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Anthony Eaton rated it 5 of 5 stars

My parents taught me to play bridge. Not, you understand, the insanely elaborate competition version that Louis Sachar writes about in this book, but rather the dreaded ‘social game’ to which he refers just once. It was enough, though to provide me with a healthy appreciation for this truly sophisticated and remarkable card game. There's something inexorably fascinating about bridge – the hidden communication, the plotting and logic and underlying strategy of the game, and of course the fact tha...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: modern-teen

I really liked this. Alton is a teenage boy who is suddenly called on to be cardturner for his blind, curmedgeonly uncle during his bridge games. Basically, this means that Alton tells his uncle at the beginning what cards he has in his hand, and then he plays whichever card his uncle tells him to. Alton's uncle (called Trapp) asks for no additional assistance, aside from the other players stating their plays out loud, once. He keeps all the cards in his head.

Before taking on his cardturner duti...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Knitme23 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a tricky one. It sounded good: who does like Louis Sachar after reading Holes? I loved that book, so I hoped that his ability to tell a clear, involving story would make up for the fact that this story was about BRIDGE. As in, "the game of."

Well, maybe it would've won me (and prospective students) over, but for some indefensible reason, the editors let Louis Sachar read the story on the compact disc. Yup, the story of 17 year old wise guy Alton was told in first person by probably-at-l...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Fred Gorrell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-youngadult

This book may be a bit of a stretch for readers who loved Holes- it tells of a 17-year old boy who learns to love playing Bridge by turning cards for his blind uncle. Readers who really enjoyed the books Chasing Vermeer and The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett are more likely to be attracted to this story than the ones who liked Holes. The author uses a cute device to signal readers when it is time to skip a section that delves into the rules of Bridge if they aren't interested in understanding it, but...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

This may be slightly spoilerific. So tread carefully?

All in all, good book. It's not gonna stay in my head for forever, but I enjoyed it. Particularly, learning more about bridge was cool. You hear the word bridge thrown around a lot, usually in the context of the elderly, but I've never really cared much to learn about the game. It's really interesting to learn more about it. It's a really intense game and takes a lot of intelligence and skill, and has definitely gained my respect.
Alton was a g...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Librarianforhim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-on-cd, family-relationships, family-secrets, friendships, funny-reads, read-in-2011, romance, young-adult, modern-fiction

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

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Apr 24, 2011 Jess - The Tales Compendium rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

Although I loved The Cardturner, I'm really struggling to find the right words as to why. First and foremost, it is about a game called bridge. Most people, if they have heard if it, generally associate the game with the elderly. All I knew about it, before reading The Cardturner, was that it was a card game, and that my Grandma played it with 'The Bridge Girls' once a month. I love reading books that have been inspired by authors' quirky interests. Louis Sachar wanted to write a book about brid...more Although I loved The Cardturner, I'm really struggling to find the right words as to why. First and foremost, it is about a game called bridge. Most people, if they have heard if it, generally associate the game with the elderly. All I knew about it, before reading The Cardturner, was that it was a card game, and that my Grandma played it with 'The Bridge Girls' once a month. I love reading books that have been inspired by authors' quirky interests. Louis Sachar wanted to write a book about bridge. He wanted to share his love of the game and also hopefully entice younger people to play. And that is exactly what he has done. Thankfully for us readers, the story is told from the perspective of 17-year-old Alton, who gets a summer 'job' turning the cards for his blind great Uncle, four times a week, at his bridge club.

Bridge aside, The Cardturner is about family: family relationships, family secrets, family money and a mystery (that turns out to be quite heart-breaking). There is also the normal adolescent difficulties with friends and the opposite sex but, thankfully, these do not suffocate the book, although I suppose the other way of looking at it is that the game of bridge does suffocate the story.

There is a lot of detail concerning bridge. Alton explains the rules at intervals throughout the book as he learns something, or decides that we are now ready to learn that particular move. And then we often get detailed descriptions of a particularly awesome, or terrible, play. Thankfully, Sachar/Alton understands that not everyone will be as crazy about the game as he is, and starts the explanations off with a little symbol so that we are aware that there will be a short summery of what he has described at the end of his explanations, meaning we can skip forwards and read it in three lines in layman's terms, and still understand what is happening. It can end up being quite funny.

I loved the characters that Sachar has created. Alton is a fantastic protagonist. He is so easy to relate to and is very likeable. After finishing, I felt as if Alton was my friend and/or that I wish he was. Leslie, Alton's younger sister is a really cool kid and I enjoyed the relationship between brother and sister. It is unusual to have siblings that like each other, treat one another well and stand up for each other (unless that is the whole point of the story), especially when it is a 17-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl. Trapp was also a great character, with his random philosophical comments and questions, and his sporadic "hah's!". The only character that really annoyed me was Cliff. I think most readers will agree with me.

Funnily enough, I now have the urge to sit down and play bridge with my Grandma. I would even re-read The Cardturner, not just because I loved the story, but because I wouldn't mind trying to learn more of the rules of bridge again (some of the terminology was lost on me the first time around)!

In regards to creating interest in bridge for the younger population, mission accomplished Mr Sachar.

This is suitable for all ages. While it is aimed at young adults, there is no adult content so would be ok for kids aged 11+. This is purely because it can get quite complicated and might be difficult for younger readers to grasp.(less)

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title link	preview: The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker
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The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

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