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Nov 05, 2011

Jo rated it:

“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 wha More...

1 comment like (10 people liked it)

Jul 18, 2011

Cara rated it:

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 cardturn More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 07, 2010

Noah rated it:

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3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 30, 2012

Dee rated it:

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 More...

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Dec 21, 2011

Jo rated it:

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...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 15, 2011

Kim (magicsandwiches) rated it:

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 More...

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Nov 01, 2011

Jillian rated it:

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 Les More...

2 comments like

Oct 06, 2011

Glenn rated it:

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 feelin More...

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Sep 18, 2011

Anthony rated it:

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 th More...

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Aug 08, 2011

Debbie rated it:

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 cardt More...

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Jul 30, 2011

Knitme23 rated it:

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 per More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 25, 2011

Fred rated it:

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:

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 res More...

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Apr 27, 2011

Librarianforhim rated it:

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Apr 24, 2011

Jess - The Tales Compendium rated it:

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...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 13, 2011

A. rated it:

I picked up Louis Sachar's new book The Cardturner because I liked the cover. This is funny because usually when I do the book-by-the-cover thing I end up horribly disappointed. Ironically, the only major disappointment I had was actually about the cover--there were no scenes where the main character, Alton Richards, sleeps on a bench in a bus depot.

Alton Richards is a typical seventeen year old: he's lazy, he loves his little sister, and feels really conflicted about his best friend More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 23, 2011

Janice rated it:

Alton's parents have been trying to stay in rich Uncle Lester's good graces, so that they will be mentioned in the will. When the uncle's housekeeper calls because the uncle needs a cardturner for his bridge games, Alton is pressured into taking it. He decides that it will be better than getting a summer job someplace else.

Alton is in a funk. His girlfriend broke up with him and began to date his best friend, Cliff. So his motivation to do things is not very high. As he helps his unc More...

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Feb 14, 2011

Jason rated it:

Teen Alton Richards gets a "job" turning cards for his blind great-uncle Lester Trapp. Sachar uses the game of Bridge to span the generation gap, connecting teens with a much older generation, one of Eisenhower, Nixon, and a cardplaying tradition that has been, for the majority, lost on today's teens.

The plot doesn't quite have the pace of Pete Hautman's All-in, but if you are looking for an intelligent read, with a little history and a fun plot thrown in, The Cardturner More...

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Feb 13, 2011

Karen rated it:

Alton Richards is 17, newly single since his girlfriend dumped him for his best friend, and jobless for the summer. His parents' solution is to insist that he become his sick and blind great-uncle Lester Trapp's driver and bridge tournament cardturner. Alton's parents want him to get close to Trapp, so he'll write the family into his will and they'll get money when he dies. They aren't the only people after Trapp's money though... he has a longtime housekeeper, and young nurse, and the crazy More...

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Jan 23, 2011

Thomas rated it:

My heart has a very, very special place reserved for Louis Sachar. I grew up with readings and rereadings of Sideways Stories from Wayside School and I think that book shaped my (and my brother's) sense of humor. I also loved Sixth Grade Secrets like nobody's business. I remember being really let down when I couldn't find it in the library for a few weeks in a row. Life can be hard for a ten year old.

Sachar just knows how to write in a way that can crack me up and break my heart. There More...

3 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jan 17, 2011

Jan rated it:

Sachar is a skillful writer and I give him props for creating a teen novel around the game of bridge. No one else could probably have done it. But although it began well enough as a fairly pleasant story, I did grow very tired of the “bridge pauses” a la Moby Dick. It’s clear that Sachar is crazy about the game. But his enthusiasm could not counteract how boring it was to read through the detailed run down of the bridge hands, especially for a non-bridge player.

Liked:
Plea More...

1 comment like

Jan 05, 2011

Jen rated it:

Alton Richards needs a summer job, and his mother has just the one for him. Alton is going to be the new cardturner for his blind, diabetic, bridge-playing “favorite uncle.” His mother sees this as a way of staking the family’s claim on his uncle’s inheritance. Alton just sees this as terrible way to spend his summer. However, as Alton begins to take his uncle to bridge games and learn about the game, he also forms a relationship with his uncle. And then he meets Toni Castaneda. Suddenly, More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 10, 2010

ambyr rated it:

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Dec 06, 2010

Terri rated it:

I picked this audiobook up at the public library knowing only that it was Louis Sachar's latest. Sachar reads it himself, and I was very disappointed when I heard him say it was about the game of bridge. I have never played the game and was never interested in learning. But since it was the only audiobook I had in the car, I kept listening.

Was I pleasantly surprised! Bridge is a large part of the book and there are frequent explanations of strategies and rules, but they didn't detrac More...

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Nov 24, 2010

Abigail rated it:

I am almost positive I already wrote this review, but I will go again. It's up for Newberry consideration (I hear), and it covers a boy who just needs a summer job. His mom wants him to take his blind and rich great-uncle to his club to play cards. Alton doesn't really care that his uncle is rich, but just goes along with the flow. He ends up meeting a girl, learns a great game, and builds a relationship with the relative he never knew (as a result of his mom's money grubbing ways). Oh yeah More...

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Oct 24, 2010

Liza rated it:

What a risk, to write a book about bridge for teens. Even more, what a risk to publish it.

I, like many teens, I imagine, don't give a fig about bridge. I could care less. That said, I still give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I'm not a fan of sports movies, but Sachar did what good sports screenwriters have done for movies - make the sport the vehicle for a sweeping, exciting, and intense experience for the viewer/reader.

I appreciated the use of the white whale technique More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 05, 2010

Stephanie rated it:

In a young adult fiction market saturated with magic and mayhem, a novel about bridge sounds like a real Yarborough.

In bridge-speak, a Yarborough is a hand with no card higher than a nine – that is, the prospects do not look too good. But to the credit of American author Louis Sachar, who penned the award-winning 1998 novel Holes, this book centred around an old-fashioned card game comes up aces.

Aware that his young audience might not share his passion for this quaint fo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 29, 2010

Sydney Y. rated it:

I liked this book because even if you don’t know a thing about bridge you will by the end. Also if you don’t want to read the long, complicated rules about bridge Sachar ALWAYS warned you that there was going to be a long, boring part about bridge. Also if you get into the bridge aspect of the book there is a part at the end by a famous bridge player saying some of the things that could be discrepancies in the scoring, weren’t. You could tell that a lot of thought went into the writing of this b More...

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Sep 21, 2010

Stephanie rated it:

OK. I'm not going to shy away from the truth here... this book is about the card game, Bridge. As the author says in the introduction, everyone - his publisher, his editor, his wife - said he was crazy to write a book about Bridge. But it's Louis Sachar (author of Holes) and he pulls it off. It's not just about Bridge of course, it's also the relationship between the main character and his great uncle who has gone blind from complications of diabetes. His great uncle loves to play Bridge and so More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 18, 2010

Erin rated it:

Bridge is for old people, right? Alton thinks so, too. But when his rich, elusive, blind uncle asks him to be a cardturner for him at bridge tournaments, Alton's parents beg him to say yes. After all, he might get included in their will! A cardturner means that Alton acts as his uncle's eyes. As it turns out, his uncle is an incredible bridge player, and a pretty incredible person with a history ripe with rumors. As Alton learns the game of bridge, he also learns about his family, a crazy affair More...

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