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Oct 24, 2012
Cora
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
fantasy,
library,
world-war-ii,
favorites,
war,
folklore,
fairy-tales,
horror,
coming-of-age,
england
Set outside London during the Blitz, David is a young boy dealing with the grief of his mother passing away and the unwanted reality that his father has remarried and he now has a new half-brother. David retreats to reading the books he and his mother loved. When his father meets Rose, David starts having unexplained black outs where he dreams of a world far away and he starts hearing the book talk. One day, David hears his mother's voice calling him. He follows the voice into a world out of the
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This is a lot darker than I expected it to be. If it weren't for all the violence, I would have thought this was a YA book--it could have been along the lines with a Wrinkle in Time or something similar.
UPDATE:
Don't judge this book till you're finished. I still agree with my previous assessment-if it weren't for the massive and grotesque violence (as well as the dark themes) I would have pegged this for a tween book. The moral is for 12 year olds, though we can all learn from what the woodsman s ...more
UPDATE:
Don't judge this book till you're finished. I still agree with my previous assessment-if it weren't for the massive and grotesque violence (as well as the dark themes) I would have pegged this for a tween book. The moral is for 12 year olds, though we can all learn from what the woodsman s ...more
I had a different expectation upon starting this book and it was not met, so I suppose that was one of the reasons why I didn't quite enjoy the book. Having said that, the book does have its own merit with its modern, more realistic approach towards the fairy tales most of us are familiar with. It's grisly and gruesome at some points, but if you're familiar with the true nature of folk and fairy tales, it shouldn't surprise you the slightest bit. Bookwise, the story dragged on a bit in the begin
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I utterly adored this book. The way the author structured the ending (not the climax of David's quest but the denouement, if you will) was not to my taste, and sadly left me with more of a 'meh' feeling than I wanted -- but everything leading up to it was quite literally breathtaking. Connolly weaves fairy tales into a very adult story, giving us fresh perspectives on well-known tales-- reminding me very much of some of Emma Donoghue's retellings, or Francesca Lia Block's. David's quest and pass
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The narrator for the unabridged audio version was excellent. The book captured me and I found myself completely engrossed in the world and the dark versions of the fairy tales. The book is of the genre of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe -- slip through a crack in this world and find yourself in a different world. I thought the wrap up/epilogue was too long and unecessary, but overall thought the structure worked.
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Read this for book club after wanting to read it for a long time. After his mother dies, David seeks solace in reading the books she left behind. In time the books begin to talk to him and lead him to enter a scary new world. The books has a lot of twists on classic fairy tales and it's pretty dark and creepy.
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This was an odd book, it's written for adults, but about a 12-year-old and all that angst that comes with childhood. While certainly books have been written about children, the moral was one for childhood. Can't say I loved it, but didn't hate it, would probably give it 2.5 stars.
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IL: UG - BL: 6.5 - AR Pts: 17.0
Boy this book was gory.
Jan 06, 2009
Kathy
marked it as to-read
Jul 18, 2009
Jennifer Eklund
marked it as to-read
Aug 20, 2009
Vesra (When She Reads)
added it
Shelves:
b,
action-adventure,
horror,
e-book,
young-adult,
author-c,
fiction,
mystery-thrillers,
science-fiction-fantasy,
pub-atria
Aug 29, 2009
Abigail
marked it as to-read
Sep 27, 2009
Christina
marked it as to-read
Oct 21, 2009
Arlene
marked it as to-read
Nov 25, 2009
Gaijinmama
marked it as to-read
Nov 13, 2010
Slayermel
marked it as to-read
Mar 02, 2011
Rebekah
marked it as to-read
Apr 04, 2012
David
marked it as to-read
