This book is a simple, but brilliant concept, and I can totally see where it gets its comparisons to modern fairy tales. It's written in first person,This book is a simple, but brilliant concept, and I can totally see where it gets its comparisons to modern fairy tales. It's written in first person, which is a little strange for a fairy tale, but works great for this one and how the main character tells her story, and the storytelling is very well done, giving it a creepy and mysterious atmosphere, which fits the story perfectly.
The idea of a harsh and emotionless wizard taking a young girl away from her home is nothing new to fairy tales or fantasy books, and that may be a little off-putting for people picking it up, but it's worth it to stick though and find out why these girls are taken. There's a lot at stake for these people, and it all makes a lot of sense in the end.
The Good Points of Uprooted:
The storytelling is brilliant throughout. I'm not usually a big fan of first person in fantasy books, but it just works so well. Novik knows how to weave a story to create an atmosphere and a story that keeps you hooked and makes you question all the forests that you see on a day to day basis.
I loved all the characters in this book. Agnieszka is very realistic as a teenager, and I loved her flaws as much as her strengths. All of the other characters, even the more minor ones, were just as well built, and the cast feels very unique.
It's just such a cool concept, to have the bad guy not be a person or creature at all, but rather a forest. They can't reason or talk to their enemy, they just have to figure out how to fight it.
The Downsides of Uprooted:
I did find this book rather slow. And not just because I took forever to read it. It just seemed to take forever to get to the point and for things to be hashed out, at least until we hit the last hundred or so pages.
The weird romance but not romance thing in this book did not work for me. It was awkward, and felt out of place, and kind of like it was just there to check a box. It really could have been left out and nothing would have changed for the story.
There were so many points of this book where it felt more like things were just happening, rather than following along a plot. People just made decisions because, and ended up in places just because, and it made it harder to follow what was going on and who was on what side.
All in all, I did enjoy Uprooted, and I'm hoping to give it another go someday and not take so dang long to get through it. The creepiness and the atmosphere is absolutely brilliant, and the story itself is great, but the writing is flowery and it's a bit slow going. If you like fairy tales, lush descriptions, and realistic characters, you'll likely enjoy Uprooted!...more
I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada through Goodreads Giveaways.
There were lots of great thingsI was fortunate enough to receive a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada through Goodreads Giveaways.
There were lots of great things about this book, and a fair few things that bothered me too. There were some lovely dynamics with the people and the animals in the story, some very well developed characters, and fantastic settings throughout.
I love a good story about children with supernatural abilities. And this book definitely delivers on that front. It was a surprisingly nice change of pace with this book, because the fact that Ian and his older brother Colin had abilities was not a big deal to anyone in the book. Okay, it was a big deal, but Ian and Colin the children were so much more important than Ian and Colin with cool abilities. After reading a lot of books where the 'special' characters were set apart for one reason or another, this was a really nice change.
That being said, it really bugged me that no one was making a big deal about the things that were happening in this book. I won't say too much about this, because I don't want to ruin it if you're planning to read this one. But seriously. Things are going down. You need to be worried about this. Please be worried about these children.
I could spend all day talking about the two kids in this book, so I'll pause my rant a bit (a few exceptions below) to go over the positives and negatives about this one.
The Good Points of Two If By Sea:
The two children were really the highlight of this book. Kids in books often act older than typical children their age would in real life, but not these two. Ian is such a typical preschooler, in action, intention, and desires. Colin tends to act a bit older, but he was also given the impression that he needed to take care of Ian. They're both incredibly well developed characters, and they were so much fun to follow through the story.
The writing throughout the book, even in the dull parts, was gorgeous, but also incredibly easy to read. It's one of those books that felt effortless to read.
The way that grief was handled throughout the book - and it was a large part of the story - was beautiful. Grief can come off as tacky or fake or overdone in writing, but it's presented as a driving force and the focus is really placed on coping and dealing.
The Downsides of Two If By Sea:
The first 100-odd pages dragged like crazy. There was a lot going on, and it was obviously setting up for what was coming next, but it took a while it get into. It did pick up very quickly after those 100 pages though.
The pacing through this book felt weird to me. It would be slow, only to pick up for a couple chapters, and then slow down again. If not for the fact that I was determined to find out what happens to the kids, I probably would have DNF-ed the book temporarily because of this.
It seemed like Frank got Ian out of Australia and into the United States far too easily. I know it's a story and that there were supernatural forces involved, but for the level of reality that this book had, it felt like there should have been more of a fight for it. Maybe this is just me being fussy, but it irked me for a bit.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. Despite some little things that bugged me, the characters were fantastic, and the story was good. The one thing that really stood out to me when I finished reading it was that this is one of those books I need to come back to when I am a bit older. With the adult characters being in a very different life position than I am now, I think some aspects of the book went right over my head. So it will take up residence on my shelf, and I'll give it another try in a few years, and see if my rating and opinions change....more
This book had been sitting on my shelf for months before I picked it up. I'd been tempted by it in the past, but I had the distinct impression that itThis book had been sitting on my shelf for months before I picked it up. I'd been tempted by it in the past, but I had the distinct impression that it was going to be a heavy read, which had me putting it off time and time again. But I finally picked it up, and I am so glad that I did.
Not to say that my pre-reading impression was wrong. This was a heavy book from every aspect. The characters are struggling, the setting is struggling, and it all begins to weigh down on you rather quickly. But that should be expected in a book about the second World War. It's a slow read, not because it's boring or that it takes time, but because you need a few minutes every now and then just to sit with what you've read and prepare to move on. It took me about two weeks to get through this one.
That being said, it is an absolutely beautiful book. The characters are wonderful and you'll fall in love with them right away. The writing style and structure of the book are fantastic. The way the different aspects of the story weave around each other is a work of art. I can totally see why there are so many awards associated with the novel.
The Good Points of All The Light We Cannot See:
The formatting of the chapters and how the past and present weave together is absolutely brilliant. The chapters alternate in the time line, and each is then divided into the perspectives of different characters. At first glance, I was worried it would be hard to follow, because there was a lot going on. But Doerr's got it set up in a way that you never feel lost or confused, because everything fits like a glove.
The characterization of both Marie-Laure and Werner is fantastic. Both characters are well developed, and their progression through the years and through the novel feels so natural that they could be the person passing you on the street. When the two finally come together, it feels like letting out a breath you've been holding, because you can feel how everything has led them there, despite their very different paths to arrive at that point.
The writing is incredibly detailed, metaphoric and beautiful, but never too overbearing. You'll be able to picture every aspect of the story in your head, and feel like you've been there all along with Werner and Marie-Laure.
Many books based around wars have a bad side and a good side, and characters divide into one or the other. But this isn't that sort of book. Yes, Werner works for the Nazis, and Marie-Laure is hiding from them, but you never feel like one of them is right or wrong. They're just people doing the best they can. Doerr shows beautiful empathy for all the characters in this book, reminding us that even the so-called 'bad guys' sometimes are just doing what they need to or know how to do.
The Downsides of All The Light We Cannot See:
This is not a book you can sit down and read in one go, so it does require some commitment on the part of the reader. Don't be surprised if it takes you longer than anticipated to get through it.
There are no surprises in this book. There's nothing that's really going to catch you off guard or change the progression of the story. You can pretty easily predict what's going to happen. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but maybe a few surprises would have made this book even better.
Despite the fact that I loved Werner's character, I would have liked to see him grow up a little more. We get to see Marie-Laure take on responsibility, question things, try to do more to help, but Werner remains the young boy with the radio for the vast majority of this book. The only real changes we see in him is when he meets Marie-Laure. With what he saw and what he went though, I would have liked to see him grow more.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I get the feeling it's one of those stories that stick with you long after you've read it. It's a beautiful World War 2 story, and I highly recommend that you check it out if you get the chance. ...more
Hilary (SongsWroteMyStory)
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