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The Spell Book of Listen Taylor
Book by Jaclyn Moriarty
490 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2007
34 people are currently reading
1762 people want to read
About the author
Jaclyn Moriarty
37 books1,531 followersJaclyn Moriarty is an Australian writer of young adult literature.
She studied English at the University of Sydney, and law at Yale University and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where she was awarded a PhD.
She is the younger sister of Liane Moriarty. She was previously married to Canadian writer Colin McAdam, and has a son, Charlie. She currently lives in Sydney.
She studied English at the University of Sydney, and law at Yale University and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where she was awarded a PhD.
She is the younger sister of Liane Moriarty. She was previously married to Canadian writer Colin McAdam, and has a son, Charlie. She currently lives in Sydney.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
August 25, 2008
When I first picked up The Spell Book of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty, it seemed to be quite obviously YA, published as it is by the Arthur A. Levine imprint of Scholastic and featuring a 12-year-old girl who finds a book of spells. Easy-peasy!
Well, no. To my initial uneasiness but then vast delight, this book quickly began soaring away from any possibility of pinning it down into a category or genre. Sure, there’s a Junior High School girl named Listen, whose spells may or may not be having some intriguing and unexpected effects on the people around her. But most of the characters are young women in their 20s and 30s, who are dealing with jobs, relationships, children, and other grown-up preoccupations.
The plot starts out scattered and complicated, but the disparate threads all lead the reader to the tightly knitted heart of the center. To reveal too much would detract from the pleasure of this tale, so I will only say that the Zing family (Mr. and Mrs. Zing, their two 30-something daughters Marbie and Fancy, Fancy’s husband Radcliffe, and Marbie’s boyfriend Nathaniel) has an unusual and all-consuming Secret.
Meanwhile, Nathaniel’s daughter Listen has found a handmade book that cheerfully exhorts her to follow easy but very concise instructions that will lead to such results as someone finding something unexpected in a washing machine. She follows these instructions with bemusement and then a kind of desperation – after all, the book promises to “mend your broken heart.” Listen’s heart has been broken by her group of friends, who have turned on her now that they’re all at a new school.
And finally there is Cath Murphy, a young and peculiarly lucky 2nd-grade teacher, whose love affair with a fellow teacher at first seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the story, except that she is Fancy’s daughter Cassie’s teacher.
These young women – Cath, Fancy, Marbie, and Listen – are the heart and soul of the story, with Mrs. Zing (Maudie) playing a more distant but crucial role as well. While Cath is down-to-earth and practical, Fancy and Marbie are more nebulous and fey, drifting through their lives and wondering (or grumbling) at where the winds of chance blow them. All that really inspires them to real action is The Secret – which explains a lot about their apparent passivity. By the end, they have discovered the desire to shape their own destinies. Cath, on the other hand, is put in the unsettling position of having to figure out how much of what she thought was her own free will was due to outside forces.
Listen’s story is the most heart-breaking. I cringed at her absolute acceptance of her friends’ assessment of her as a “taker” because she listens a lot but doesn’t do a lot of talking. After explaining in earnest detail why their group had to “shift away from you,” her friend Donna adds, “And this is really, really hard for us, okay?” It’s devastating, as is Listen’s subsequent failure to find any other friends at her new school.
Moriarty cuts right to the emotional heart of things. Her writing is gorgeous, her characters are odd and unique in the way that people are, and what seems to be a ludicrously far-fetched plot turns out to be … well, not exactly normal, but certainly understandable in terms of ordinary people and extraordinary love. This is a daring and thrilling book, and a damn good read. It’s my new favorite book of the year.
Will teens read this book? Sure, and I really hope that the YA designation doesn’t prevent adults from reading it as well. Librarians, writers, editors, and avid readers, do not be afraid to cross that YA/Adult border with impunity! Break it down! Great books should be read by everyone.
Well, no. To my initial uneasiness but then vast delight, this book quickly began soaring away from any possibility of pinning it down into a category or genre. Sure, there’s a Junior High School girl named Listen, whose spells may or may not be having some intriguing and unexpected effects on the people around her. But most of the characters are young women in their 20s and 30s, who are dealing with jobs, relationships, children, and other grown-up preoccupations.
The plot starts out scattered and complicated, but the disparate threads all lead the reader to the tightly knitted heart of the center. To reveal too much would detract from the pleasure of this tale, so I will only say that the Zing family (Mr. and Mrs. Zing, their two 30-something daughters Marbie and Fancy, Fancy’s husband Radcliffe, and Marbie’s boyfriend Nathaniel) has an unusual and all-consuming Secret.
Meanwhile, Nathaniel’s daughter Listen has found a handmade book that cheerfully exhorts her to follow easy but very concise instructions that will lead to such results as someone finding something unexpected in a washing machine. She follows these instructions with bemusement and then a kind of desperation – after all, the book promises to “mend your broken heart.” Listen’s heart has been broken by her group of friends, who have turned on her now that they’re all at a new school.
And finally there is Cath Murphy, a young and peculiarly lucky 2nd-grade teacher, whose love affair with a fellow teacher at first seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the story, except that she is Fancy’s daughter Cassie’s teacher.
These young women – Cath, Fancy, Marbie, and Listen – are the heart and soul of the story, with Mrs. Zing (Maudie) playing a more distant but crucial role as well. While Cath is down-to-earth and practical, Fancy and Marbie are more nebulous and fey, drifting through their lives and wondering (or grumbling) at where the winds of chance blow them. All that really inspires them to real action is The Secret – which explains a lot about their apparent passivity. By the end, they have discovered the desire to shape their own destinies. Cath, on the other hand, is put in the unsettling position of having to figure out how much of what she thought was her own free will was due to outside forces.
Listen’s story is the most heart-breaking. I cringed at her absolute acceptance of her friends’ assessment of her as a “taker” because she listens a lot but doesn’t do a lot of talking. After explaining in earnest detail why their group had to “shift away from you,” her friend Donna adds, “And this is really, really hard for us, okay?” It’s devastating, as is Listen’s subsequent failure to find any other friends at her new school.
Moriarty cuts right to the emotional heart of things. Her writing is gorgeous, her characters are odd and unique in the way that people are, and what seems to be a ludicrously far-fetched plot turns out to be … well, not exactly normal, but certainly understandable in terms of ordinary people and extraordinary love. This is a daring and thrilling book, and a damn good read. It’s my new favorite book of the year.
Will teens read this book? Sure, and I really hope that the YA designation doesn’t prevent adults from reading it as well. Librarians, writers, editors, and avid readers, do not be afraid to cross that YA/Adult border with impunity! Break it down! Great books should be read by everyone.
January 28, 2011
This is just way too bizarre to be truly enjoyed. Not even close to Ashbury books in quality. Have no idea why it is being marketed as YA, because this book is basically about grown people indulging in adultery for no good reason. Adultery is accompanied by mentions of multiple orgasms, sucking toes, and qualities of a good lover.
The only poignant part of the story is Listen's junior high school experience. And the novel is very interesting structurally. Other parts of the novel - the plot, the mystery, the characters' motivations - make almost no sense. At the same time it is very readable though.
The only poignant part of the story is Listen's junior high school experience. And the novel is very interesting structurally. Other parts of the novel - the plot, the mystery, the characters' motivations - make almost no sense. At the same time it is very readable though.
June 2, 2008
Following this story is like trying to follow the deranged rantings of a hopped-up lunatic with ADD. There is no literary flow; it is a listing of random thoughts and actions by characters with names like Listen, Marbie, and Violin (ok, technically Violin is a cat). Bizarre is too tame of a word to describe the descriptions, and the dialogue feels like it came out of Through the Looking Glass.
Of course, none of that is necessarily a bad thing.
After 100 pages or so I started to understand the plot, although the author certainly didn't make it easy. The time jumps are insane: one character will take you through a month of events, then you'll go back a month and start over from a different character's perspective, and then you'll go back 50 years to hear a random story of a character not even involved in the story, and then - zip! - back to present day. Disconcerting, much?
I also discovered that this book really could have been titled "Adultery: A Celebration". Every character over the age of 12 was cheating on their spouse/significant other, or being cheated on, or thinking about cheating, or cheating with someone who was himself/herself married. It was nuts - even the grandmotherly types reminisce about their own adulterous affairs. And what was worse, no one who was cheating had any reason to: they were all with loving spouses/significant others. I found the two main adult character, Fancy & Marbie, to be a pair of selfish, fluff-headed idiots who are in constant need of a good slapping. They leave their men for inferior relationships without a thought for the children involved. It was really quite disgusting.
The only reason I stayed with the book to the bitter end was the title character and her respective "spell book". Listen is the true victim of the book, blaming herself for her father's break-up with her new "mom" and being ostracized at school in heart-breakingly realistic ways. I was also curious about the "Zing family secret" that was constantly begin dangled in front of me - although I think that carrot turned out to be a lemon. I won't spoil it, but suffice to say by the time it was revealed it wasn't very surprising or believable.
The ending was as unsatisfying as the characters themselves, with little resolution and no sense of accomplishment. All in all, this felt like a fairly well-written journey into despair; the story manages to revel in adultery while still illustrating the all-encompassing selfishness required to engage in it. Certainly that's a solid moral to build a story around, but billing it as a whimsical or even magical tale - and for young adults, no less! - is false advertising at best.
Of course, none of that is necessarily a bad thing.
After 100 pages or so I started to understand the plot, although the author certainly didn't make it easy. The time jumps are insane: one character will take you through a month of events, then you'll go back a month and start over from a different character's perspective, and then you'll go back 50 years to hear a random story of a character not even involved in the story, and then - zip! - back to present day. Disconcerting, much?
I also discovered that this book really could have been titled "Adultery: A Celebration". Every character over the age of 12 was cheating on their spouse/significant other, or being cheated on, or thinking about cheating, or cheating with someone who was himself/herself married. It was nuts - even the grandmotherly types reminisce about their own adulterous affairs. And what was worse, no one who was cheating had any reason to: they were all with loving spouses/significant others. I found the two main adult character, Fancy & Marbie, to be a pair of selfish, fluff-headed idiots who are in constant need of a good slapping. They leave their men for inferior relationships without a thought for the children involved. It was really quite disgusting.
The only reason I stayed with the book to the bitter end was the title character and her respective "spell book". Listen is the true victim of the book, blaming herself for her father's break-up with her new "mom" and being ostracized at school in heart-breakingly realistic ways. I was also curious about the "Zing family secret" that was constantly begin dangled in front of me - although I think that carrot turned out to be a lemon. I won't spoil it, but suffice to say by the time it was revealed it wasn't very surprising or believable.
The ending was as unsatisfying as the characters themselves, with little resolution and no sense of accomplishment. All in all, this felt like a fairly well-written journey into despair; the story manages to revel in adultery while still illustrating the all-encompassing selfishness required to engage in it. Certainly that's a solid moral to build a story around, but billing it as a whimsical or even magical tale - and for young adults, no less! - is false advertising at best.
February 1, 2023
“For she now saw clearly that this was a horror story it was a story of betrayal, heart-break and greed, a story of selfishness and denial.”
Initially I got this book because I learned that Jaclyn is Liane Moriarty’s sister. So, I thought why not see if she shares her sister’s talent.
I was sceptical at firsts, as this was YA and I’ve got a thing with YA tropes. Meaning this book’s been on my shelf for many, many years. Neatly stacked with all the other YA’s I’ve bought an didn’t get to when I was younger. (My mission for 2023 is to see how many of these books I truly like and to get rid of the one’s I dislike)
Anticipating a YA, I was shocked to my core about the content of this book. It did not have the usual YA tropes I loathe so much, but to hype adultery so bluntly did not sit well with me. I kept thinking that I did not want my YA niece to read this… I did not even want my younger self to read this.
But as an adult who’ve got some experience behind me; being able to see the troubles that adultery would cause to a relationship I did come to enjoy the story. It basically comes down to How one choice can change your entire life and family. And I thought Jaclyn did a good job portraying this.
Would I recommend this book… Well, NO! This is not for everyone, and I get why so many people disliked it. But I also isn’t a bad book, just a sensitive topic that wasn’t handled with tack.
Initially I got this book because I learned that Jaclyn is Liane Moriarty’s sister. So, I thought why not see if she shares her sister’s talent.
I was sceptical at firsts, as this was YA and I’ve got a thing with YA tropes. Meaning this book’s been on my shelf for many, many years. Neatly stacked with all the other YA’s I’ve bought an didn’t get to when I was younger. (My mission for 2023 is to see how many of these books I truly like and to get rid of the one’s I dislike)
Anticipating a YA, I was shocked to my core about the content of this book. It did not have the usual YA tropes I loathe so much, but to hype adultery so bluntly did not sit well with me. I kept thinking that I did not want my YA niece to read this… I did not even want my younger self to read this.
But as an adult who’ve got some experience behind me; being able to see the troubles that adultery would cause to a relationship I did come to enjoy the story. It basically comes down to How one choice can change your entire life and family. And I thought Jaclyn did a good job portraying this.
Would I recommend this book… Well, NO! This is not for everyone, and I get why so many people disliked it. But I also isn’t a bad book, just a sensitive topic that wasn’t handled with tack.
January 19, 2010
This is the story of how I was tricked by this book. Yes, TRICKED!! This is the story:
Four years ago in January 2006, I was at Sydney airport waiting to board the plane to Canada. As you do, I was wasting time in the airport shops, more specifically, one of those little bookshops. One book caught my eye and I instantly fell in love the cover and the zany title and the even zanier, witty blurb. It was I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes by an Australian/Canadian author, Jaclyn Moriarty, whom I'd never heard of before. It was a couple of years old by then (first published in 2004), but I'd been living in Japan so I was behind in almost everything. It was also, being an Australian book, too expensive. Sadly, I put it back on the shelf, but I never forgot it.
A year or so later, I was browsing in Chapters and came across the book on a sale table. It was published by Anansi, a Canadian publisher, and had one of the fugliest covers I'd ever seen, which came in pink or blue. Against my better judgement, I bought the blue one; as soon as I got home I regretted it - I didn't want to read such an ugly book - but, being me, I couldn't get rid of it either.
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Perhaps a year later, I read Moriarty's YA novel, The Year of Secret Assignments (or, Finding Cassie Crazy) in an afternoon and laughed myself silly. I picked up her other two books, Feeling Sorry for Celia and The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie but I've yet to read them. Sometime in 2008, I was thrilled to find in Chapters' YA section what I thought was a new Moriarty novel, or new for Canada, The Spell Book of Listen Taylor. I started reading it this month as part of my 2010 TBR Challenge (12 books that have been languishing, unread, on my shelves for a while, to be read in 12 months), and one thing that kept bugging me was the thought, "This doesn't read like a YA novel!".
About halfway through, after the third hot air balloon story, something occurred to me. Either the author is obsessed with hot air balloons (thinking of the lovely cover of the Buttermilk Pancakes book), or ...
I was at home when this epiphany hit me, on the couch in front of my bookcases, so I jumped up, grabbed the hideous Pancake book off the shelf, and looked again at the blurb. Zings. The Zing Family Secret. Ah. I flipped to the beginning, and found that it wasn't the same. I flipped through some more. It WAS the same book! They had just rearranged things! The time line is somewhat confusing, so for their Groundwood edition (Groundwood being Anansi's YA imprint), they reorganised it and sectioned it into chronological parts with helpful titles - the chapters still overlap, and it's still hard sometimes remembering that you're reading the same period of time, just from a different character's perspective, but it is more orderly than the original novel, which starts with one of the hot air balloon stories, goes next to the ending and then back to a beginning, and so on. Other things had been changed. The title, of course, was changed to give it more of a YA feel (the character of Listen is a wonderful character but she doesn't have that big a role). The character of Nathaniel was originally called Vernon (a name that completely changes his personality - "Nathaniel" works much better); some editing (read: removal of bits) to the narrative had occurred; and the "extracts from the Zing garden shed" were in different places.
I felt quite betrayed by this realisation. Firstly, because I had really wanted to read I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes, but specifically the one with the lovely cover which I wouldn't be able to do until I returned home (and who knows how many years that will be!); and secondly because I thought I was getting a whole new Moriarty book. Nowhere does it say on or in The Spell Book of Listen Taylor that it was originally published as I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes - no mention of this book is made whatsoever, in the author's bio or anywhere else.
Reading the blurb on the back of the Pancakes book, though, it makes mention that "This is her first adult novel." So that explains why it doesn't feel like a typical YA novel, or like her other YA books. For one thing, most of the main characters are adult women. There is Fancy Zing (married to Radcliffe, with one daughter, Cassie), Marbie Zing (Fancy's younger sister, living with Nathaniel and his daughter Listen), and Cath Murphy (Cassie's Grade Two teacher, alone and broken hearted). Listen and Cassie get to share their perspectives as well - it's entirely told from the women's point of view - but it is Fancy, Marbie and Cath whose story we are reading. And they are all having, or wanting to have, or suspect someone else is having, affairs. Not what you would usually read in a YA novel (not that teenagers can't or shouldn't read this - I liked reading "adult" books as a teen, and it's always great to get a different perspective on life than that of your own age group).
So despite loving the story, it loses a star for tricking me. Which is probably the publisher's fault (the Australian publisher also rereleased it as The Spell Book of Listen Taylor). That's not the only reason it loses a star, though.
There are times when this book reads like someone who's visited Australia a couple of times, in summer, but hasn't really experienced it and doesn't really get it. These are the times, the only times (which aren't many - mostly in regards to the freak snow storm that hits Sydney in the story), when reference is made to the fact that this is set in Sydney. Otherwise, you would never know. Which is rather weird, because Moriarty grew up in Sydney, even though she now lives in Montreal during the Canadian summer (according to her bio). So why did I find it so lacking in authenticity? Regarding the before-mentioned snow storm, it's not the closing down of the city over two centimetres of snow that is hard to believe, but the things the characters think about it. Especially with Fancy having a Canadian neighbour - it seemed set up so the Australians would look stupid and incompetent, regardless of the fact that they all seemed to ski and that it DOES get cold so people DO have winter clothes there!
I find that, once I started noticing the way American publishers changed spelling and words in non-American-authored books into American spelling and words, I can't stop. It's very distracting. It's the same with typos and grammatical mistakes, but far more offensive because it's so insulting. I loved that they kept "campervan" and "mum", but somewhere between Australia and Canada, the manuscript acquired American spelling and some words were changed. We don't say "airplane", so why would these characters say it? Neither do we say "cell" (for mobile) or "cotton candy". These changes grate on me. But which is the bigger sin? Changing a novel - character names, title, even the chapters themselves - so that it can be sold as Young Adult book, or the Americanisation of the text itself? Personally, for me it's the latter.
But what about the bloody story? I hear you ask, impatiently. Well, the story is great. Eccentric, not as funny as the other book of hers I read, but definitely zany. Clever too, in its structure, plotting, and revelation. Even reorganised into a somewhat more linear narrative for this edition, it's still a marvel how well it all comes together and the small details are not forgotten. There's irony rather than chuckles, and times when I wanted to smack Marbie on the head. (You will too, when you get to the Aeronautical Engineer parts.) The biggest thing I loved about it was, actually, Listen herself.
Listen Taylor is starting Grade 7 at a new school, and during the school Walkathon (I remember those!), her friends run off and leave her, and then shun her at school, and finally tell her that they decided to cut her out of their group. It's mean, and cruel, and awful, and it's something I could completely sympathise with. Brought back plenty of memories! What Listen goes through was more realistic and relatable, for me, than what I usually read in North American YA fiction (of which I've been reading quite a lot lately). Listen was a character close to my heart.
I also loved the character of Cath Murphy - she balances the weird Zing sisters nicely, adds a more familiar perspective, and is ultimately the driving force of the novel because of, well, the Zing Family Secret. Which is craftily revealed, slowly, so that you piece it together at just the right moments, exactly when the author wants you to. Truly skilled writing. Not to mention, the way it's written, which I also loved. Again, it's different from her YA novels - like the writing itself, not just the characters, is eccentric.
I don't know which edition to recommend. This Groundwood one is lovely to hold, the pages are just the right softness and texture, and the font is light and elegant. The Anansi adult edition is just as ugly on the inside as it is on the outside. As for the original Pan MacMillan edition in Australia, I don't know what that's like. Someone will have to let me know, and whether the right words are there - mobile phone, fairy floss, and so on. I miss them.
Four years ago in January 2006, I was at Sydney airport waiting to board the plane to Canada. As you do, I was wasting time in the airport shops, more specifically, one of those little bookshops. One book caught my eye and I instantly fell in love the cover and the zany title and the even zanier, witty blurb. It was I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes by an Australian/Canadian author, Jaclyn Moriarty, whom I'd never heard of before. It was a couple of years old by then (first published in 2004), but I'd been living in Japan so I was behind in almost everything. It was also, being an Australian book, too expensive. Sadly, I put it back on the shelf, but I never forgot it.
A year or so later, I was browsing in Chapters and came across the book on a sale table. It was published by Anansi, a Canadian publisher, and had one of the fugliest covers I'd ever seen, which came in pink or blue. Against my better judgement, I bought the blue one; as soon as I got home I regretted it - I didn't want to read such an ugly book - but, being me, I couldn't get rid of it either.
[image error] [image error]
Perhaps a year later, I read Moriarty's YA novel, The Year of Secret Assignments (or, Finding Cassie Crazy) in an afternoon and laughed myself silly. I picked up her other two books, Feeling Sorry for Celia and The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie but I've yet to read them. Sometime in 2008, I was thrilled to find in Chapters' YA section what I thought was a new Moriarty novel, or new for Canada, The Spell Book of Listen Taylor. I started reading it this month as part of my 2010 TBR Challenge (12 books that have been languishing, unread, on my shelves for a while, to be read in 12 months), and one thing that kept bugging me was the thought, "This doesn't read like a YA novel!".
About halfway through, after the third hot air balloon story, something occurred to me. Either the author is obsessed with hot air balloons (thinking of the lovely cover of the Buttermilk Pancakes book), or ...
I was at home when this epiphany hit me, on the couch in front of my bookcases, so I jumped up, grabbed the hideous Pancake book off the shelf, and looked again at the blurb. Zings. The Zing Family Secret. Ah. I flipped to the beginning, and found that it wasn't the same. I flipped through some more. It WAS the same book! They had just rearranged things! The time line is somewhat confusing, so for their Groundwood edition (Groundwood being Anansi's YA imprint), they reorganised it and sectioned it into chronological parts with helpful titles - the chapters still overlap, and it's still hard sometimes remembering that you're reading the same period of time, just from a different character's perspective, but it is more orderly than the original novel, which starts with one of the hot air balloon stories, goes next to the ending and then back to a beginning, and so on. Other things had been changed. The title, of course, was changed to give it more of a YA feel (the character of Listen is a wonderful character but she doesn't have that big a role). The character of Nathaniel was originally called Vernon (a name that completely changes his personality - "Nathaniel" works much better); some editing (read: removal of bits) to the narrative had occurred; and the "extracts from the Zing garden shed" were in different places.
I felt quite betrayed by this realisation. Firstly, because I had really wanted to read I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes, but specifically the one with the lovely cover which I wouldn't be able to do until I returned home (and who knows how many years that will be!); and secondly because I thought I was getting a whole new Moriarty book. Nowhere does it say on or in The Spell Book of Listen Taylor that it was originally published as I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes - no mention of this book is made whatsoever, in the author's bio or anywhere else.
Reading the blurb on the back of the Pancakes book, though, it makes mention that "This is her first adult novel." So that explains why it doesn't feel like a typical YA novel, or like her other YA books. For one thing, most of the main characters are adult women. There is Fancy Zing (married to Radcliffe, with one daughter, Cassie), Marbie Zing (Fancy's younger sister, living with Nathaniel and his daughter Listen), and Cath Murphy (Cassie's Grade Two teacher, alone and broken hearted). Listen and Cassie get to share their perspectives as well - it's entirely told from the women's point of view - but it is Fancy, Marbie and Cath whose story we are reading. And they are all having, or wanting to have, or suspect someone else is having, affairs. Not what you would usually read in a YA novel (not that teenagers can't or shouldn't read this - I liked reading "adult" books as a teen, and it's always great to get a different perspective on life than that of your own age group).
So despite loving the story, it loses a star for tricking me. Which is probably the publisher's fault (the Australian publisher also rereleased it as The Spell Book of Listen Taylor). That's not the only reason it loses a star, though.
There are times when this book reads like someone who's visited Australia a couple of times, in summer, but hasn't really experienced it and doesn't really get it. These are the times, the only times (which aren't many - mostly in regards to the freak snow storm that hits Sydney in the story), when reference is made to the fact that this is set in Sydney. Otherwise, you would never know. Which is rather weird, because Moriarty grew up in Sydney, even though she now lives in Montreal during the Canadian summer (according to her bio). So why did I find it so lacking in authenticity? Regarding the before-mentioned snow storm, it's not the closing down of the city over two centimetres of snow that is hard to believe, but the things the characters think about it. Especially with Fancy having a Canadian neighbour - it seemed set up so the Australians would look stupid and incompetent, regardless of the fact that they all seemed to ski and that it DOES get cold so people DO have winter clothes there!
I find that, once I started noticing the way American publishers changed spelling and words in non-American-authored books into American spelling and words, I can't stop. It's very distracting. It's the same with typos and grammatical mistakes, but far more offensive because it's so insulting. I loved that they kept "campervan" and "mum", but somewhere between Australia and Canada, the manuscript acquired American spelling and some words were changed. We don't say "airplane", so why would these characters say it? Neither do we say "cell" (for mobile) or "cotton candy". These changes grate on me. But which is the bigger sin? Changing a novel - character names, title, even the chapters themselves - so that it can be sold as Young Adult book, or the Americanisation of the text itself? Personally, for me it's the latter.
But what about the bloody story? I hear you ask, impatiently. Well, the story is great. Eccentric, not as funny as the other book of hers I read, but definitely zany. Clever too, in its structure, plotting, and revelation. Even reorganised into a somewhat more linear narrative for this edition, it's still a marvel how well it all comes together and the small details are not forgotten. There's irony rather than chuckles, and times when I wanted to smack Marbie on the head. (You will too, when you get to the Aeronautical Engineer parts.) The biggest thing I loved about it was, actually, Listen herself.
Listen Taylor is starting Grade 7 at a new school, and during the school Walkathon (I remember those!), her friends run off and leave her, and then shun her at school, and finally tell her that they decided to cut her out of their group. It's mean, and cruel, and awful, and it's something I could completely sympathise with. Brought back plenty of memories! What Listen goes through was more realistic and relatable, for me, than what I usually read in North American YA fiction (of which I've been reading quite a lot lately). Listen was a character close to my heart.
I also loved the character of Cath Murphy - she balances the weird Zing sisters nicely, adds a more familiar perspective, and is ultimately the driving force of the novel because of, well, the Zing Family Secret. Which is craftily revealed, slowly, so that you piece it together at just the right moments, exactly when the author wants you to. Truly skilled writing. Not to mention, the way it's written, which I also loved. Again, it's different from her YA novels - like the writing itself, not just the characters, is eccentric.
I don't know which edition to recommend. This Groundwood one is lovely to hold, the pages are just the right softness and texture, and the font is light and elegant. The Anansi adult edition is just as ugly on the inside as it is on the outside. As for the original Pan MacMillan edition in Australia, I don't know what that's like. Someone will have to let me know, and whether the right words are there - mobile phone, fairy floss, and so on. I miss them.
April 26, 2011
Inspite of Jaclyn Moriarty's funky, insightful and sometimes extremely funny writing style, "The Spell Book of Listen Taylor" is in essence a rather depressing book: It tells the cleverly intertwined stories of three women having each an affair and one 12-years-old girl - the one and only Alissa "Listen" Taylor -, being systematically snubbed/mobbed/cold-shouldered by her five former best friends.
I do not know why, but the helpless combination of adultery and lonely childhood makes me painfully sad. The wacky Zing Clan and their family secret (yes, I peeked at the last chapters to be in the know) did not offer enough cheerful balance to let me hitch a ride on the that's-life:-crazy-but-somehow-worth-it-wave.
I have decided to let the book go after 16 chapters (or 148 pages). But I am convinced that for lovers of contemporary, realistic and slightly cynical fiction with an unexpected twist and a big AHA-effect thrown in at the end, "Listen Taylor" is just the right thing. Really.
What I miserably fail to understand is why Macmillan offers the book as a part of their children's line. Because Listen is a young heroine? (The women are aged 28 and up.) Or because Moriarty's other titles are all young adult novels? (That would be absolute bullshit. Who says that an author cannot aim at different readerships with different books? Knowing that the book was originally sold as contemporary adult with the title I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes makes me gnash my teeth even harder.) Heavens, I am not one of those readers who say that children or teenagers shouldn't read books about young teachers or middle-aged mums having affairs, but I think a lot of disappointment is preprogrammed by placing a book for the wrong age group. If you pick up an adult book you should be able to do so knowingly. Same goes for the other way around. In Germany Marked and the rest of the vampie-teeenie House-of-Night-Series is sold as paranormal romance in the grown-up section. And behold what those poor, unsuspecting shoppers are treating themselves to!
To round up my review and to visualize my opinion I close with my favorite quote:
"When she got back from taking Cassie to school Fancy knew that she ought to be working on her wilderness romance. She had promised thirty thousand words to her editor by tomorrow, and she had only written eleven. Specifically:
His rhinoceros smelled like a poppadom: sweaty, salty, strange and strong.
Her editor would cut that line."
TBR Pile Reduction Challenge 2011, Book #16 (challenger = Nomes)
I do not know why, but the helpless combination of adultery and lonely childhood makes me painfully sad. The wacky Zing Clan and their family secret (yes, I peeked at the last chapters to be in the know) did not offer enough cheerful balance to let me hitch a ride on the that's-life:-crazy-but-somehow-worth-it-wave.
I have decided to let the book go after 16 chapters (or 148 pages). But I am convinced that for lovers of contemporary, realistic and slightly cynical fiction with an unexpected twist and a big AHA-effect thrown in at the end, "Listen Taylor" is just the right thing. Really.
What I miserably fail to understand is why Macmillan offers the book as a part of their children's line. Because Listen is a young heroine? (The women are aged 28 and up.) Or because Moriarty's other titles are all young adult novels? (That would be absolute bullshit. Who says that an author cannot aim at different readerships with different books? Knowing that the book was originally sold as contemporary adult with the title I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes makes me gnash my teeth even harder.) Heavens, I am not one of those readers who say that children or teenagers shouldn't read books about young teachers or middle-aged mums having affairs, but I think a lot of disappointment is preprogrammed by placing a book for the wrong age group. If you pick up an adult book you should be able to do so knowingly. Same goes for the other way around. In Germany Marked and the rest of the vampie-teeenie House-of-Night-Series is sold as paranormal romance in the grown-up section. And behold what those poor, unsuspecting shoppers are treating themselves to!
To round up my review and to visualize my opinion I close with my favorite quote:
"When she got back from taking Cassie to school Fancy knew that she ought to be working on her wilderness romance. She had promised thirty thousand words to her editor by tomorrow, and she had only written eleven. Specifically:
His rhinoceros smelled like a poppadom: sweaty, salty, strange and strong.
Her editor would cut that line."
TBR Pile Reduction Challenge 2011, Book #16 (challenger = Nomes)
May 28, 2019
This is my second time reading the book.
I love it.
Certain aspects of the book remind me so much of my own feelings and experiences—feelings and experiences that sometimes make me feel lonely, because I don't often see them talked about in other books, movies, TV shows, etc.
I love it.
Certain aspects of the book remind me so much of my own feelings and experiences—feelings and experiences that sometimes make me feel lonely, because I don't often see them talked about in other books, movies, TV shows, etc.
July 19, 2014
Huh. That's not how I expected this to go.
I need to explain: this book, in my opinion, is not a bad book. I don't think there's much that's actually wrong with it, as a book, honest. Sometimes, two stars — because that is not very many stars! I know! — means: "SUCKY!" But I do not mean that now.
I almost let myself peer-pressure into rating this three instead. But, it is actually a truly important thing in my heart to rate stuff based on how I liked reading it! And if somebody asked me if I liked this, I would say: "It was OK." So.
We've got, partly, a packaging problem, none of which is the book's fault whatsoever. But pretty much everything this book is labeled with is a misnomer. Yet, despite fair warnings in other reviews about its ambiguity, I still expected/hoped I was reading: (1) a slightly-magicky (2) YA-ish book. The title, even, is a poor choice (although objectively it's a real nice title), because it strongly indicates both of these elements. So that should get cleared up entirely. Don't let this happen to you!
Magickyness: it's not. There is a spell book, like it says, but it's not what it sounds like. And I don't think that's a spoiler. Because you can tell from the atmosphere, early: the "magic" here is the same type of "magic" that is in, I will say, I was thinking a lot of the movie Amelie. Meaning: things click together in a darling, delightful way, and although real life doesn't actually work like that, the things that happen are all technically real. Right? And that's where the fun is, instead of in imaginary magic. It's maybe magical realism? But who actually ever has a definition for that; also, THERE IS NO MAGIC. So… ?! Okay. JUST BEING CLEAR!
Young adults: I'm frustrated that Listen Taylor is the title character. Listen Taylor — although she is THE BEST character, and most moving storyline in the book — is maybe 15% of things here. There are lots of characters! And backstory. It's doing a lot. There's three adult pairs in the main characters, and one in the backstory. Listen has one storyline. It's not Listen's book. Nor is it any other young character's book. Quirk doesn't make YA. The book is about marriages, people! So just say that. Everyone here knows what it's like to be a young reader; somebody calling a book "adult fiction" never stopped us. Just explain what the book is and people of any age can read it if it interests them. Right? Please.
Oh but about the packaging: I love that cover to death. Greatness. (Even if it, too, is misleading.)
Anyway. None of this has to matter! Because I potentially can love any book. For a time, I strongly considered actually reading the copy of Shaquille O'Neal's autobiography that someone gave me. You never know. Love abounds. But, for me, it just did not take this time. Like Marbie, the good things just slipped through my fingers, and I watched them go.
However: some of this was so up my alley that I was terribly confused the whole time whether I liked it or didn't. Some of the writing is so seriously great. It's great. Beautiful and funny. (Although, some of it was infuriating.) The character Listen, and everything she deals with at school and just deals with IN THE WORLD about friends and confidence, is fantastic. I gobbled up those scenes, hoarded them like a hamster with sunflower seeds; I want to keep every one. Cath's own story and relationship felt very real and genuine and hard, and I was often impatient to see them more. And just, some of the details, I almost felt like I wrote it sometimes: there is actually a good amount of it that is just about school counseling? And Warren cross-stitches a bookmark for heaven's sake? I mean, I actually do that! A lot!!! Like I devote a lot of my brain to thinking about cross-stitching bookmarks! Like, do any of you want one? Not kidding but okay.
Anyway. As I said, the book is about marriages; angrier reviewers say instead, the book is about adultery. So… both? It's correct: each of the three adult storylines involves an exam of a couple's commitment and unfaithfulness. It's what it's about. We get different angles, different outcomes. And for me it was at times lovely, at times tough, and at times too damn perplexing.
I don't mind watching characters make mistakes. When you really know a character, watching them fail to do the right thing can be as or more moving than watching hard choices be made and lessons be learned. (What I'm actually trying to say is I deeply love Don Draper and you can't make me stop.) Everyone knows, mistakes are important, and that makes them good stories.
But I didn't really… get it, here. At least two of the infidelity stories rely on someone making really bad choices (narratively-acknowledged, objectively bad ones) and both of them were just limpy, to me. There is the smallest, smallest amount of "why," a small link into the bigger structure, but I felt dismissive and shut down.
In particular, I gotta talk about Marbie. I guess this has to go in spoilers even though it's important to me. This is about sex, and sexual threats, and I don't really know how to articulate these things very well? But I've gotta use plot details to talk it out. (Also, to a lesser extent, this arises in Fancy's marriage.)
The other thing I turned out not to like very much was the Secret, since of course learning the Secret is the reason to stay with this book to the end (WHY IS THIS BOOK SO LONG?) But, I really think my opinion on this part doesn't matter very much. I think it was just not the story for me. It reminded me a little bit of the totally stupid backstory I read in Ireland recently, which just fell right on its face for me til I pointed and laughed. …Yeah. This reminded me of that.
My failing to connect to this book was made very clear by the medium: I read this as an e-book, which meant that I read it on my iPad, which meant that sometimes, my book had internet. I actually use the iPad primarily for book reading (I know!), so I don't usually noodle all that much… but oh. How this book made me curious if anyone had posted something new on Facebook! It was amazing! They always had!!!
As a side note I am pretty confused about the previous book the author published of the same story — it appears to be exactly the same story, even looking at the cover tells you — but I guess, told differently? And packaged for adults? So she just wrote a version over again with different words? I don't know. I don't work in publishing. People do this? It… is weird to me, but okay. I'm sorry I didn't like this book, because that's the kind of question of retelling that I would find interesting enough to read it again.
But, I won't.
Onward and upward.
I need to explain: this book, in my opinion, is not a bad book. I don't think there's much that's actually wrong with it, as a book, honest. Sometimes, two stars — because that is not very many stars! I know! — means: "SUCKY!" But I do not mean that now.
I almost let myself peer-pressure into rating this three instead. But, it is actually a truly important thing in my heart to rate stuff based on how I liked reading it! And if somebody asked me if I liked this, I would say: "It was OK." So.
We've got, partly, a packaging problem, none of which is the book's fault whatsoever. But pretty much everything this book is labeled with is a misnomer. Yet, despite fair warnings in other reviews about its ambiguity, I still expected/hoped I was reading: (1) a slightly-magicky (2) YA-ish book. The title, even, is a poor choice (although objectively it's a real nice title), because it strongly indicates both of these elements. So that should get cleared up entirely. Don't let this happen to you!
Magickyness: it's not. There is a spell book, like it says, but it's not what it sounds like. And I don't think that's a spoiler. Because you can tell from the atmosphere, early: the "magic" here is the same type of "magic" that is in, I will say, I was thinking a lot of the movie Amelie. Meaning: things click together in a darling, delightful way, and although real life doesn't actually work like that, the things that happen are all technically real. Right? And that's where the fun is, instead of in imaginary magic. It's maybe magical realism? But who actually ever has a definition for that; also, THERE IS NO MAGIC. So… ?! Okay. JUST BEING CLEAR!
Young adults: I'm frustrated that Listen Taylor is the title character. Listen Taylor — although she is THE BEST character, and most moving storyline in the book — is maybe 15% of things here. There are lots of characters! And backstory. It's doing a lot. There's three adult pairs in the main characters, and one in the backstory. Listen has one storyline. It's not Listen's book. Nor is it any other young character's book. Quirk doesn't make YA. The book is about marriages, people! So just say that. Everyone here knows what it's like to be a young reader; somebody calling a book "adult fiction" never stopped us. Just explain what the book is and people of any age can read it if it interests them. Right? Please.
Oh but about the packaging: I love that cover to death. Greatness. (Even if it, too, is misleading.)
Anyway. None of this has to matter! Because I potentially can love any book. For a time, I strongly considered actually reading the copy of Shaquille O'Neal's autobiography that someone gave me. You never know. Love abounds. But, for me, it just did not take this time. Like Marbie, the good things just slipped through my fingers, and I watched them go.
However: some of this was so up my alley that I was terribly confused the whole time whether I liked it or didn't. Some of the writing is so seriously great. It's great. Beautiful and funny. (Although, some of it was infuriating.) The character Listen, and everything she deals with at school and just deals with IN THE WORLD about friends and confidence, is fantastic. I gobbled up those scenes, hoarded them like a hamster with sunflower seeds; I want to keep every one. Cath's own story and relationship felt very real and genuine and hard, and I was often impatient to see them more. And just, some of the details, I almost felt like I wrote it sometimes: there is actually a good amount of it that is just about school counseling? And Warren cross-stitches a bookmark for heaven's sake? I mean, I actually do that! A lot!!! Like I devote a lot of my brain to thinking about cross-stitching bookmarks! Like, do any of you want one? Not kidding but okay.
Anyway. As I said, the book is about marriages; angrier reviewers say instead, the book is about adultery. So… both? It's correct: each of the three adult storylines involves an exam of a couple's commitment and unfaithfulness. It's what it's about. We get different angles, different outcomes. And for me it was at times lovely, at times tough, and at times too damn perplexing.
I don't mind watching characters make mistakes. When you really know a character, watching them fail to do the right thing can be as or more moving than watching hard choices be made and lessons be learned. (What I'm actually trying to say is I deeply love Don Draper and you can't make me stop.) Everyone knows, mistakes are important, and that makes them good stories.
But I didn't really… get it, here. At least two of the infidelity stories rely on someone making really bad choices (narratively-acknowledged, objectively bad ones) and both of them were just limpy, to me. There is the smallest, smallest amount of "why," a small link into the bigger structure, but I felt dismissive and shut down.
In particular, I gotta talk about Marbie. I guess this has to go in spoilers even though it's important to me. This is about sex, and sexual threats, and I don't really know how to articulate these things very well? But I've gotta use plot details to talk it out. (Also, to a lesser extent, this arises in Fancy's marriage.)
The other thing I turned out not to like very much was the Secret, since of course learning the Secret is the reason to stay with this book to the end (WHY IS THIS BOOK SO LONG?) But, I really think my opinion on this part doesn't matter very much. I think it was just not the story for me. It reminded me a little bit of the totally stupid backstory I read in Ireland recently, which just fell right on its face for me til I pointed and laughed. …Yeah. This reminded me of that.
My failing to connect to this book was made very clear by the medium: I read this as an e-book, which meant that I read it on my iPad, which meant that sometimes, my book had internet. I actually use the iPad primarily for book reading (I know!), so I don't usually noodle all that much… but oh. How this book made me curious if anyone had posted something new on Facebook! It was amazing! They always had!!!
As a side note I am pretty confused about the previous book the author published of the same story — it appears to be exactly the same story, even looking at the cover tells you — but I guess, told differently? And packaged for adults? So she just wrote a version over again with different words? I don't know. I don't work in publishing. People do this? It… is weird to me, but okay. I'm sorry I didn't like this book, because that's the kind of question of retelling that I would find interesting enough to read it again.
But, I won't.
Onward and upward.
November 11, 2010
Past Me wouldn’t have enjoyed this book and that’s unfortunate. Disparate stories and characters seem to pick up and leave off with no apparent plot, so I wouldn’t have made it very far before abandoning it. But since I’d already read and loved the Ashbury books, I had faith and quickly finished and loved this one too.
The story—don’t worry, there really is one in there—revolves around the Zing Family Secret. There’s junior high student Listen Taylor and her mysterious Spell Book. Marbie Zing is Listen’s father’s girlfriend and spends Friday evenings with the rest of the Zings doing private Family Secret business. Fancy Zing, Marbie’s older sister, is unhappy in her marriage and mother to perceptive second grader Cassie, whose teacher is brokenhearted Ms. Murphy. The book follows each and tells of their separate trials and tribulations. Their stories unfurl slowly and bump up against each other, but do eventually come together to show what’s going on.
This is impossible to categorize. There’s a YA perspective, but it’s one of many. There’re also mature issues about all stages of relationships and writing that has a magical and fanciful feel. Secrets and broken hearts (caused by friends, family, and love—old, new, boring, or clandestine) seem to be the running theme.
I had to give up any need to anticipate what was going to happen. Why worry about being omniscient anyway? The characters were likeable and distinct and easy to cheer for. The writing and pacing were great, but be prepared to encounter mini cliffhangers after getting invested in a storyline. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy while watching the story take shape. This is another great book from this author.
The story—don’t worry, there really is one in there—revolves around the Zing Family Secret. There’s junior high student Listen Taylor and her mysterious Spell Book. Marbie Zing is Listen’s father’s girlfriend and spends Friday evenings with the rest of the Zings doing private Family Secret business. Fancy Zing, Marbie’s older sister, is unhappy in her marriage and mother to perceptive second grader Cassie, whose teacher is brokenhearted Ms. Murphy. The book follows each and tells of their separate trials and tribulations. Their stories unfurl slowly and bump up against each other, but do eventually come together to show what’s going on.
This is impossible to categorize. There’s a YA perspective, but it’s one of many. There’re also mature issues about all stages of relationships and writing that has a magical and fanciful feel. Secrets and broken hearts (caused by friends, family, and love—old, new, boring, or clandestine) seem to be the running theme.
I had to give up any need to anticipate what was going to happen. Why worry about being omniscient anyway? The characters were likeable and distinct and easy to cheer for. The writing and pacing were great, but be prepared to encounter mini cliffhangers after getting invested in a storyline. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy while watching the story take shape. This is another great book from this author.
December 29, 2021
Dnf @ 17% I was confused and didn’t care about any of the characters. I also had no idea where the plot was so I decided to abandon ship
September 5, 2010
Fiction. When Listen Taylor and her dad move in with Marbie Zing, her dad's girlfriend, Listen finds a spell book while unpacking her things. There are nine spells in the book, and it's very particular about when she does them.
This is delightful, like Alice Hoffman at her best. It's not quite magical realism, more like reality with the barest hint of magic. The kind of magic that might come from coincidence, not the kind where people suddenly sprout wings. The prose is playful and inventive: He chuckled and leaned back on the couch, stretching out an arm as if to parallel park. There's a large cast of characters from three different generations, all interesting and distinct. Even with the various infidelities, the novel remains sweet and hopeful, while still keeping an edge.
Technically this is YA fiction, but there's nothing about it that suggests it's geared toward a younger audience. My library copy is in regular fiction and if I hadn't looked it up on the internet I wouldn't have known it was YA. In addition to Listen, there are a lot of adults -- and adult subjects -- in the story. She's only one character of many.
Five stars. I loved the circular nature of the narrative and the way everything tied together. I'll be reading more by Moriarty. Recommended.
This is delightful, like Alice Hoffman at her best. It's not quite magical realism, more like reality with the barest hint of magic. The kind of magic that might come from coincidence, not the kind where people suddenly sprout wings. The prose is playful and inventive: He chuckled and leaned back on the couch, stretching out an arm as if to parallel park. There's a large cast of characters from three different generations, all interesting and distinct. Even with the various infidelities, the novel remains sweet and hopeful, while still keeping an edge.
Technically this is YA fiction, but there's nothing about it that suggests it's geared toward a younger audience. My library copy is in regular fiction and if I hadn't looked it up on the internet I wouldn't have known it was YA. In addition to Listen, there are a lot of adults -- and adult subjects -- in the story. She's only one character of many.
Five stars. I loved the circular nature of the narrative and the way everything tied together. I'll be reading more by Moriarty. Recommended.
August 23, 2023
Almost DNFed a bunch of times. I did not like the story as a whole but found some of the characters fun and the dialogue entertaining.
Though, for this book being rated for 7th grade and up (even as YA), the adult relationships in the story are a MAJOR disappointment. While I totally believe kids should be able to read about the variety of the lives experience, I also cannot believe that a fictional story should have literally every single adult relationship tainted by infidelity/deceit in some major way. I just simply had a REALLY hard time getting past that to enjoy the rest of the book.
Though, for this book being rated for 7th grade and up (even as YA), the adult relationships in the story are a MAJOR disappointment. While I totally believe kids should be able to read about the variety of the lives experience, I also cannot believe that a fictional story should have literally every single adult relationship tainted by infidelity/deceit in some major way. I just simply had a REALLY hard time getting past that to enjoy the rest of the book.
March 2, 2018
Every time I read a book from Moriarty, I wonder how she gets away with turns of phrase that are strange and delicious, or plots that fold in on themselves and wind around in a way that is unexpected but somehow works. Somehow!
July 18, 2011
This book definitely caught me by surprise. I picked it up randomly, expecting to enjoy it because I've read a few other books by Jaclyn Moriarty and loved them; they each had their own writing style and unique way of drawing me into the story. The Spell Book of Listen Taylor was no different in that respect. It was told through a variety of characters who all had their own specific quirks and personalities that came through in the text.
I'd like to get what I disliked about the book out of the way so I can get to the good things. First off, I have no idea why this novel is marketed as a young adult book. I read somewhere that it was originally published as adult fiction, but that changed somewhere along the way. But most of the main characters-and this book follows many different characters-are adults, around 30. Only one is YA aged-Listen is 12. So much of the writing centers around 'adult' subjects-affairs, marriage, commitment-that doesn't apply to someone my own age, though that doesn't mean it's automatically not interesting. Even though I haven't exactly experienced these things, I could still get into the book and want the best for the characters.
Another thing is that it is long, and needlessly so. Sure, I liked reading all the little things that added together to make an incredible book, but the journey seemed to take longer than necessary. I've read books of this length before, and they're usually packed with action. While I enjoyed the flashbacks, back stories, side plots, and tiny things that connected the characters, something seemed off about it. Perhaps less would be more, even though I ended up liking the excess.
Yes, I did like The Spell Book of Listen Taylor. At some points it was so ridiculously funny I wanted to burst out laughing, even when I was in a public place, where such a thing would be incredibly awkward. This is one of the most twisty, anything-goes, hilarious books I've read in a while. It's not perfect, but I'm alright with that.
The characters were fantastic, from little Cassie to Mrs. Zing. They all had their flaws, some prominently displayed, some hidden. All needed to work out their own problems, and find their own happiness. I keep flipping the pages so I could figure out what would happen next with Listen's spell book, and what exactly the Zing Family Secret was. I loved coming along for the ride, and I can't wait to read more by Jaclyn Moriarty. I give The Spell Book of Listen Taylor 4/5 stars.
I'd like to get what I disliked about the book out of the way so I can get to the good things. First off, I have no idea why this novel is marketed as a young adult book. I read somewhere that it was originally published as adult fiction, but that changed somewhere along the way. But most of the main characters-and this book follows many different characters-are adults, around 30. Only one is YA aged-Listen is 12. So much of the writing centers around 'adult' subjects-affairs, marriage, commitment-that doesn't apply to someone my own age, though that doesn't mean it's automatically not interesting. Even though I haven't exactly experienced these things, I could still get into the book and want the best for the characters.
Another thing is that it is long, and needlessly so. Sure, I liked reading all the little things that added together to make an incredible book, but the journey seemed to take longer than necessary. I've read books of this length before, and they're usually packed with action. While I enjoyed the flashbacks, back stories, side plots, and tiny things that connected the characters, something seemed off about it. Perhaps less would be more, even though I ended up liking the excess.
Yes, I did like The Spell Book of Listen Taylor. At some points it was so ridiculously funny I wanted to burst out laughing, even when I was in a public place, where such a thing would be incredibly awkward. This is one of the most twisty, anything-goes, hilarious books I've read in a while. It's not perfect, but I'm alright with that.
The characters were fantastic, from little Cassie to Mrs. Zing. They all had their flaws, some prominently displayed, some hidden. All needed to work out their own problems, and find their own happiness. I keep flipping the pages so I could figure out what would happen next with Listen's spell book, and what exactly the Zing Family Secret was. I loved coming along for the ride, and I can't wait to read more by Jaclyn Moriarty. I give The Spell Book of Listen Taylor 4/5 stars.
February 23, 2010
There were so many good things about this book. First, I'll hit the plot: There's an overarching set of circumstances tying everyone in this book together, but the picture is big enough throughout most of it that you cannot see the threads.
Consequently, the big surprise, namely, the Zing Family Secret which gets thrown around all through the beginning of the book, actually stays a secret until the author damn well wants you to see it.
Second, let's look at the characters: They're all real, sympathetic enough that even when they do incredibly stupid, dishonest, or nonsensical things you can feel for them, and they're vulnerable each in their own way. Listen was a wonderful character as a sensitive and awkward seventh grader with no friends (and keeper of the Spell Book, of course), and I liked the wackiness of Marbie and Fancy Zing (Marbie with her sleepwalking, Fancy with her ridiculous novel-writing attempts) . . . and Cath, she was so easy to relate to as she sat at the crux of everything important. Their ordinary selves were entertaining enough even without their extraordinary circumstances, and while I would have preferred a slightly more distinctive voice for the characters, I followed their individual personalities well enough.
But lastly, the narration is where this author truly shines (as usual). There is some incredibly clever wordplay and bittersweet metaphor use in this book, and the ordinary is truly brought to life as people weather snowstorms and personal disasters, have affairs and suspect each other of having affairs, and deal with bee stings and broken vacuum cleaners. And after the Zing Family Secret belongs to the reader as well, there is still the drama to unfold as we watch who gets to learn it, what circumstances reveal it, and most importantly, what then? The ending made me think "And . . . ?" Exactly. And then . . . the characters lived on, despite it not being a "happily ever after" story. (And I must say I'm pleased with this first book I've read of Moriarty's where she doesn't tell the story entirely in text-based communication between the characters.)
Consequently, the big surprise, namely, the Zing Family Secret which gets thrown around all through the beginning of the book, actually stays a secret until the author damn well wants you to see it.
Second, let's look at the characters: They're all real, sympathetic enough that even when they do incredibly stupid, dishonest, or nonsensical things you can feel for them, and they're vulnerable each in their own way. Listen was a wonderful character as a sensitive and awkward seventh grader with no friends (and keeper of the Spell Book, of course), and I liked the wackiness of Marbie and Fancy Zing (Marbie with her sleepwalking, Fancy with her ridiculous novel-writing attempts) . . . and Cath, she was so easy to relate to as she sat at the crux of everything important. Their ordinary selves were entertaining enough even without their extraordinary circumstances, and while I would have preferred a slightly more distinctive voice for the characters, I followed their individual personalities well enough.
But lastly, the narration is where this author truly shines (as usual). There is some incredibly clever wordplay and bittersweet metaphor use in this book, and the ordinary is truly brought to life as people weather snowstorms and personal disasters, have affairs and suspect each other of having affairs, and deal with bee stings and broken vacuum cleaners. And after the Zing Family Secret belongs to the reader as well, there is still the drama to unfold as we watch who gets to learn it, what circumstances reveal it, and most importantly, what then? The ending made me think "And . . . ?" Exactly. And then . . . the characters lived on, despite it not being a "happily ever after" story. (And I must say I'm pleased with this first book I've read of Moriarty's where she doesn't tell the story entirely in text-based communication between the characters.)
December 29, 2008
I judge a book by its cover many a time, which is why I picked up this book. The instantly grabbing image of a woman in heels, looking like she's practically flying into an open, glowing window; the title (who can resist a title such as this one?!); and the predominate color of green all sucked me in immediately. Plus, I'd read other books by Jaclyn Moriarty ("The Year of Secret Assignments") in which she'd employed a writing method where the story was told in a series of handwritten notes between characters... entirely fun and captivating.
The book promises this on the back, which is coincidentally, tied into the story as the line on the back of the "spell book":
This book will make you fly, will make you strong, will make you glad. What's more, this book will mend your broken heart.
Irresistible.
The writing in this story is beautifully poetic and very witty, and never feels contrived to me. I loved this part of the book, when Listen Taylor, the "main" character in the story, is contemplating her name,
"The name Listen worked better with Taylor. The Taylor part relaxed the Listen, or gave it an approving tick. 'What's your name?' 'Listen Taylor.' 'Oh, okay, hi.'
'What's your name?' 'Listen Zing.' The stranger, already skating on Listen, would whack her head hard against Zing. 'It's what?!"
I was already sucked into the book, and couldn't put down the delightful writing style in this story.
However, as the book unfolded, I became more and more confused over the labeling of this as a "young adult fiction" novel. Please read this review, linked below (it's fairly short!) in describing the actual story and the content of the characters' plot lines. I discovered that this is a re-worked version of an adult novel, and I truly think that they should've left the adult fiction label attached. It's pretty heavy for a YA fiction book (not that I don't think young adults can't handle heavy, but you'll see what I mean if you read the linked review.)
http://www.amazon.com/review/R25V2YB4...
The book promises this on the back, which is coincidentally, tied into the story as the line on the back of the "spell book":
This book will make you fly, will make you strong, will make you glad. What's more, this book will mend your broken heart.
Irresistible.
The writing in this story is beautifully poetic and very witty, and never feels contrived to me. I loved this part of the book, when Listen Taylor, the "main" character in the story, is contemplating her name,
"The name Listen worked better with Taylor. The Taylor part relaxed the Listen, or gave it an approving tick. 'What's your name?' 'Listen Taylor.' 'Oh, okay, hi.'
'What's your name?' 'Listen Zing.' The stranger, already skating on Listen, would whack her head hard against Zing. 'It's what?!"
I was already sucked into the book, and couldn't put down the delightful writing style in this story.
However, as the book unfolded, I became more and more confused over the labeling of this as a "young adult fiction" novel. Please read this review, linked below (it's fairly short!) in describing the actual story and the content of the characters' plot lines. I discovered that this is a re-worked version of an adult novel, and I truly think that they should've left the adult fiction label attached. It's pretty heavy for a YA fiction book (not that I don't think young adults can't handle heavy, but you'll see what I mean if you read the linked review.)
http://www.amazon.com/review/R25V2YB4...
July 9, 2021
VERDICT: 1.8 stars for me, although I thought the two teen characters were well-written. If you enjoy books that are different and full of wonky characters, and you don't mind unrealism, you may easily 3+ this one.
Sadly, the title itself is misleading; the "SPELL BOOK" only gets a few pages devoted to it, and it's basically Of note is the setting: Australia.
SOME DETAILS (may include mild spoilers):
Sadly, the title itself is misleading; the "SPELL BOOK" only gets a few pages devoted to it, and it's basically Of note is the setting: Australia.
SOME DETAILS (may include mild spoilers):
October 9, 2019
Caveat Emptor This is a revised edition of I Have A Bed Made Of Buttermilk Pancakes (see my sad, sad story below). Also, it is NOT a YA book unless you believe that every book which has any character under the age of 20 should be shelved in YA. This is a thoughtful adult novel, and nowhere near as hilarious as the jacket would lead one to believe. I love the germ of inspiration Moriarty had around the Zing family secret, but for my own enjoyment I wish she had focused more on that and on more whimsical, upbeat plotlines & themes rather than narratives of infidelity and betrayal. It is a beautifully crafted novel, but to market this as either humor or YA is simply going to create false expectations & disappointment, while people who might otherwise read the book pass over it based on the misleading jacket.
Evan & I love Moriarty's other books, so for a special birthday gift a few years ago, I special-ordered a copy of I Have A Bed Made Of Buttermilk Pancakes (paperback, with an ugly cover), which hadn't been published in the U.S. Then, in 2007, around Evan's birthday, I spotted The Spell Book of Listen Taylor and thought "Aha! A new Jaclyn Moriarty novel!" and bought him a copy of that novel-- only to find out that it was THE SAME BOOK. CHEAP TRICK! I would have gladly saved a bunch of money on importing a paperback had I known it would eventually be available here in hardback, and we were both hoping for a NEW BOOK. Is librarianship making me jaded, or are publishers increasingly trying to screw us all over? (Please feel free to comment)
Evan & I love Moriarty's other books, so for a special birthday gift a few years ago, I special-ordered a copy of I Have A Bed Made Of Buttermilk Pancakes (paperback, with an ugly cover), which hadn't been published in the U.S. Then, in 2007, around Evan's birthday, I spotted The Spell Book of Listen Taylor and thought "Aha! A new Jaclyn Moriarty novel!" and bought him a copy of that novel-- only to find out that it was THE SAME BOOK. CHEAP TRICK! I would have gladly saved a bunch of money on importing a paperback had I known it would eventually be available here in hardback, and we were both hoping for a NEW BOOK. Is librarianship making me jaded, or are publishers increasingly trying to screw us all over? (Please feel free to comment)
November 3, 2014
This book is a re-write of Moriarty's earlier novel for adults "I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes". I was really excited to read this because I love her stuff and I loved Pancakes, and also because it's fairly unusual for an author to re-write and re-release a book. She writes that she did so in order to change the story for YA-readers. I was interested to piece together the thought process of altering the book.
I did enjoy getting more of Listen's story in this one, however I though the book would be much more from Listen's point of view. The Spell Book stuff and Listen's family were always one of my favourite parts of Pancakes. I mean Listen - that's a great name for a character! I love her ability to tie elements of magic into reality.
I didn't think she would include so much of the story of the adults having affairs, I thought that would be one of the major changes. Cath's story barely has much to do with Listen's and it sort of seems that it's not really appropriate for YA either. A lot of the main characters are adults, which isn't often the case for YA.
I still love Jaclyn Moriarty's writing style, but in this case I think the story was told beautifully the first time in Pancakes. If I could have the best of both worlds, I would transport the extra Listen bits into Pancakes and call it a day.
I did enjoy getting more of Listen's story in this one, however I though the book would be much more from Listen's point of view. The Spell Book stuff and Listen's family were always one of my favourite parts of Pancakes. I mean Listen - that's a great name for a character! I love her ability to tie elements of magic into reality.
I didn't think she would include so much of the story of the adults having affairs, I thought that would be one of the major changes. Cath's story barely has much to do with Listen's and it sort of seems that it's not really appropriate for YA either. A lot of the main characters are adults, which isn't often the case for YA.
I still love Jaclyn Moriarty's writing style, but in this case I think the story was told beautifully the first time in Pancakes. If I could have the best of both worlds, I would transport the extra Listen bits into Pancakes and call it a day.
February 20, 2008
I've enjoyed Moriarty's writing for the past few years and was excited as I sat down to read this book that she seems to be sensing the shift in her audience. I enjoy a lot of YA novels and that's how I got into Moriarty, but this most recent book, while still having elements of YA, seems to be trying to reach her mid-twenties audience. Don't get me wrong, I think it works! I was pleasantly surprised to find Moriarty combining stories of characters of many ages and found myself equally entranced by all of their stories. My only problem is this... if this book is aimed at YA audiences, I was saddened by the lack of couples that remained faithful throughout the novel and relationships that really lasted (I'm not talking about teenage relationships, but rather all of the adult relationships in the novel). I know Moriarty writes a lot about divorce and the effects on teens, but what about couples that don't cheat and are happy? Alright, I'll get off my soapbox now...
March 10, 2009
I thought about not reviewing this, and truly I have been sick to my stomach over the three stars I am giving it. Kevin and Meg, two opinions I respect more than I can easily express here, five-starred the hell out of this book, and I wanted it to be that for me too. I wanted to laugh, I wanted to cry. And I just liked it.
This revelation has set me off on a bit of self-doubt, but I remind myself that books read as recently as Dramarama have made me laugh, cry, fall in love with words and characters.
Anyways, there's a lot to like here! I like that adults are the main focus of this book; I agree with Meg that as a kid I liked to know what adults were doing. I like how frank their affairs and sex lives are. I liked everything having to do with Listen, as I spent lots of lunchtimes as a kid utterly alone. I couldn't believe how many things about Cath rang true to me.
Still, three stars. Sorry, guys.
This revelation has set me off on a bit of self-doubt, but I remind myself that books read as recently as Dramarama have made me laugh, cry, fall in love with words and characters.
Anyways, there's a lot to like here! I like that adults are the main focus of this book; I agree with Meg that as a kid I liked to know what adults were doing. I like how frank their affairs and sex lives are. I liked everything having to do with Listen, as I spent lots of lunchtimes as a kid utterly alone. I couldn't believe how many things about Cath rang true to me.
Still, three stars. Sorry, guys.
July 23, 2011
I was really looking forward to reading this book, especially because I had really enjoyed Feeling sorry for Celia and Finding Cassie crazy. Also the reviews had been mixed but intriguing. Well - what a mess of a book. Supposed to be for teenagers, but just because one of the characters is a teen (Listen herself) doesn't make it a teen read. Most of the other characters have affairs without it being made clear just why - in many ways they were very unsympathetic characters and I felt like shaking them all and saying, get a life for God's sake!!! Also, the plot is very unconvincing and wavers all over the place. Could have used some serious pruning and then some. All in all, very disappointing. Not really sure that Jaclyn Moriarty knew what she wanted to achieve with this mish mash of a novel. Sorry ...
December 13, 2007
i have no idea how to review this book. i thoroughly enjoyed it, and yet, other than me, i'm not sure who its audience is.
it's published as young adult. most of the characters are in their 20s and 30s, with the exception of a 12 year old and a 7 year old. the tone is that of a kid's (not y.a.) book, and the content is entirely adult (most of the plots revolve around extra-marital affairs). so, hmmm.
but that aside, it was charming and quirky and contained an odd mystery that kept me turning pages. much of it is sort of over the top (which is perhaps why the tone feels like a kid's book), but in a fun way. i'm curious to read her other y.a. books and also the adult book that she re-wrote to form this one.
it's published as young adult. most of the characters are in their 20s and 30s, with the exception of a 12 year old and a 7 year old. the tone is that of a kid's (not y.a.) book, and the content is entirely adult (most of the plots revolve around extra-marital affairs). so, hmmm.
but that aside, it was charming and quirky and contained an odd mystery that kept me turning pages. much of it is sort of over the top (which is perhaps why the tone feels like a kid's book), but in a fun way. i'm curious to read her other y.a. books and also the adult book that she re-wrote to form this one.
attempted-to-read
April 19, 2009This book was totally confusing. It could be because it's based on a huge secret that no one is allowed to talk about or say. None of the characters were very likable except maybe the title character Listen. The rest are either having affairs or thinking about it FOR NO APPARENT REASON! If you were to read into the thoughts of the characters than I guess you could come up with some lame excuses, but they are just that. Lame excuses. Honestly though, I was getting so confused and irritated with the characters and plot that I didn't even care very much about their reasoning, or to even finish the book. The ending is nothing short of strange and depressing. Yes, I'm one of those. I like happy ending. Probably shouldn't be labeled YA, but that's usually because of the publishers.
July 22, 2015
I really really really love Jaclyn Moriarty's writing and stories. This is of course no exception but I could not help but wonder if it was at all necessary.
A couple of years ago I read "I have a bed made by buttermilk pancakes" which is so wierd and wonderful. This is supposed to be the young adult version of that book. Seemed to be exactly the same to me. Sure, it was a while ago I read the book so it could be loads of new scenes from Listen's perspective (although I recognized a lot of them), but it was pretty much the same story.
I kinda count this book as a re-read and it was awesome. A bit slow in the beginning but as always Jaclyn Moriarty has the gift of everything sounding completely insane until it all gets tied together in the end and it all makes perfect sense.
A couple of years ago I read "I have a bed made by buttermilk pancakes" which is so wierd and wonderful. This is supposed to be the young adult version of that book. Seemed to be exactly the same to me. Sure, it was a while ago I read the book so it could be loads of new scenes from Listen's perspective (although I recognized a lot of them), but it was pretty much the same story.
I kinda count this book as a re-read and it was awesome. A bit slow in the beginning but as always Jaclyn Moriarty has the gift of everything sounding completely insane until it all gets tied together in the end and it all makes perfect sense.
August 5, 2009
Loved this - it had that whimsical quality that I adore about Sarah Addison Allen, but in its own weird, unique way. It is, apparently, marketed as a "teen" book, but it really seemed pretty adult to me - the 12 year old girl, Listen, was only part of the story, and there was plenty about the adults to make it accessible even to people who don't like teen fiction. The writing was really beautiful and unusual, and I loved how of it was woven together - these strange, disparate bits and pieces that seemed to have nothing to do with each other at first, and then kept becoming more and more intertwined as time went on. I can't wait to read another of her books!
January 19, 2010
A layered work that doesn't condescend to its tween/teen readers, this book reminded me of Special Topics in Calamity Physics for a slightly younger audience. Almost entirely plot-driven and following multiple, intersecting lives, it presents life - adult relationships, anyway - without any sugar coating. It isn't a book about fairy tale endings as much as it is a meditation on compromise, denial, security, and family.
Overall, the writing is sometimes morose, but even passages that are less than upbeat still carry the ring of authenticity. The emotions are true, even through over-the-top plot devices.
Overall, the writing is sometimes morose, but even passages that are less than upbeat still carry the ring of authenticity. The emotions are true, even through over-the-top plot devices.
November 2, 2015
The book showed promise, but didn't deliver for me, in the end. The story structure and timeline were interesting, and the interstitials on inventors was cute. I enjoyed the beautifully written and crafted emotional vignettes (junior high loneliness, 30-something crushes, married-with-kids restlessness, post-breakup's crushing desperation). I enjoyed the Sydney backdrop, and eccentric Zing family. It's just that all those didn't add up to a compelling story for me.
Also, I had to check the designation. The book was sold in YA, and the publisher's imprint signifies that, but it didn't read or feel YA to me.
Also, I had to check the designation. The book was sold in YA, and the publisher's imprint signifies that, but it didn't read or feel YA to me.
June 6, 2008
I could not finish this book. It was horrible, and if I could give it lower than a one star, I would. I only got a few chapters in before I gave up. It was so random and had no plot at all. One chapter would be about how the mom wanted to wear a dress, then the next would be how the teacher liked to play with little toy cars. I didn't understand it, and could definitely not get into it. This is one of the few books I've actually stopped because it has no plot.
November 25, 2007
totally quirky. i wish that i had scored a copy of the original adult novel (i have a bed made of buttermilk pancakes). there's no way that this should have been published as a young adult novel. i'm crossing my fingers that the paperback will be released as adult trade paperback, so it can find the right audience. i think moriarty is awesome though.
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