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The Willowdale Handcar: or the Return of the Black Doll
by
Edward Gorey
In this enigmatic, surreal, wonderfully entertaining tale, three mysterious figures set out from Willowdale, traveling by handcar. On the way to nowhere in particular they pass a number of odd characters and observe a series of baffling phenomena, from a house burning down in a field to a palatial mansion perched precariously on a bluff.At once deeply vexing and utterly hi...more
Hardcover, 64 pages
Published
October 6th 2003
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published 1962)
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This is maybe my favorite book ever. All these random, horrible and strange events happen to these random people who are on some random journey. The whole thing is very random, yet it all means something. The reader never really understands what is going on, and the possiblities are infinate. The blurb on the back sheds some light on what happens:
In which three pilgrims find mystery, abort peril, and partake of religous community. I dont know what half of that means, but it sounds epic. Iv...more
In which three pilgrims find mystery, abort peril, and partake of religous community. I dont know what half of that means, but it sounds epic. Iv...more
I can't remember if my introduction to Edward Gorey's gothic humor was his animated opening to Mystery! or his illustrations in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot (one of my cherished books of poetry). Anyway, I love his books and his art.
The back of the book describes The Willowdale Handcar or the Return of the Black Doll thusly:
In which three Pilgrims
find mystery
abort peril and
partake of religious communit...more
The back of the book describes The Willowdale Handcar or the Return of the Black Doll thusly:
In which three Pilgrims
find mystery
abort peril and
partake of religious communit...more
Three people are bored of life in their town and so decide to take a handcar down the railroad track, unsure of when they will return. I feel like there were bits of the story I missed out on.
This is one of my favorite Edward Gorey books. I used to have the Bic C read it to me every night (especially when I was on bedrest).
Ehbluemle Bluemle
added it
The Willowdale Handcar: or the Return of the Black Doll by Edward Gorey (2003)
Just bought this at Books of Wonder in NYC. So puzzling and amusing.
I love Edward Gorey. This was one of his better books.
So mysterious.
I believe I need a willowdale handlecar for myself.
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Born in Chicago, Gorey came from a colorful family; his parents, Helen Dunham Garvey and Edward Lee Gorey, divorced in 1936 when he was 11, then remarried in 1952 when he was 27. One of his step-mothers was Corinna Mura, a cabaret singer who had a brief role in the classic film Casablanca. His father was briefly a journalist. Gorey's maternal great-grandmother, Helen St. John Garvey, was a popular...more
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