elhealy5's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
This was sweet! It’s so different from the movie and I really wanted more descriptions of the borrowers space and tbh the characters were annoying but I love the idea
reixma's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
This book was a book I've always wanted to read, so when I got the chance to get it, I did!.
Just a note to advise readers that due to the era this book was written and originally published, certain words used to describe people of other ethnicities was normal and common place. There is one use of a negative word for African people in this book.
The story otherwise, was good and is told from the perspective of a relative of someone who used to live at the house where the story is set. The story follows the Borrowers who live in various locations within the main house itself and their life. It also reminisces about other Borrower families living in the same house. The way how these people live is really well described and is helped by some lovely drawings scattered in the book.
I wonder, given the edition I read was republished in 2016, could the negative word used be changed? Surely there are enough older editions that negative stereotype words could be changed?
This book was a book I've always wanted to read, so when I got the chance to get it, I did!.
Just a note to advise readers that due to the era this book was written and originally published, certain words used to describe people of other ethnicities was normal and common place. There is one use of a negative word for African people in this book.
The story otherwise, was good and is told from the perspective of a relative of someone who used to live at the house where the story is set. The story follows the Borrowers who live in various locations within the main house itself and their life. It also reminisces about other Borrower families living in the same house. The way how these people live is really well described and is helped by some lovely drawings scattered in the book.
I wonder, given the edition I read was republished in 2016, could the negative word used be changed? Surely there are enough older editions that negative stereotype words could be changed?
kandicez's review against another edition
5.0
This was so nostalgic! I devoured these tales over and over as a young girl. My RL (Zoom in the time of COVID) book club decided to read this and watch three versions of the movie adaptations to compare. I forgot how truly charming these were!
I intended to read this a bit at a time over three days or so, but I finished it all in one sitting. I love the Borrowers and little Arietty most of all. Norton fabricates the sweetest notion of why things end up missing. Why is there always need for more pens, pins, safety pins, needles, etc? They are manufactured by the 100s of thousands and yet you can never find one when needed. It's because the small people who live in the walls of our homes make use of them when we leave them lying around!
Norton describes this little family's home is such a charming way. The illustrations are fantastic, but I can see everything we don't get in illustrated form. Everything she describes makes such perfect sense and seems so logical.
I'm pretty sure I will reading the rest of this series before too long. I can't wait to encounter Cousin Dinky again!
I intended to read this a bit at a time over three days or so, but I finished it all in one sitting. I love the Borrowers and little Arietty most of all. Norton fabricates the sweetest notion of why things end up missing. Why is there always need for more pens, pins, safety pins, needles, etc? They are manufactured by the 100s of thousands and yet you can never find one when needed. It's because the small people who live in the walls of our homes make use of them when we leave them lying around!
Norton describes this little family's home is such a charming way. The illustrations are fantastic, but I can see everything we don't get in illustrated form. Everything she describes makes such perfect sense and seems so logical.
I'm pretty sure I will reading the rest of this series before too long. I can't wait to encounter Cousin Dinky again!
bilynsenamrof_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
themoonphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
adalpanda's review against another edition
5.0
Love, loved! I watched the live-action and Studio Ghibli version as a child and for the longest time had no idea there was a book. Adorable story.
kendranicole28's review against another edition
4.0
Homily and Pod Clock, and their teenage daughter Arrietty, are not like other families. For one thing, they have no extended family or friends, as all moved away long ago. For another, they spend their days foraging for food, furniture, and anything else they need from the house beneath whose walls they have made their home. And then, of course, is the fact that they are tiny people, hardly larger than mice. Homily and Pod are comfortable with their way of life, but Arrietty longs for more, and when the family is discovered by the “human beans” off of whom they live, they have no choice but make some changes.
This is a book I’ve known about since I was a child, but had never read, and I was excited to read it aloud with the kids. It was a little less fantastical/imaginative than I expected: of course it is fantasy, but some of the themes are pretty deep—themes of unfulfilled dreams, the meaning of family and home, the place we hold in this world and how we relate to those who are different from us, and the timeless challenges inherent in the parent-teen dynamic. I liked the chance to explore these issues within the context of a sweet adventure story.
The prose here is fairly old-fashioned, which the kids didn’t love, but mostly we really liked this one (but probably not enough to continue with the series).
My Rating: 4 Stars // Charleston’s Rating: 4 Stars // Book Format: Print
This is a book I’ve known about since I was a child, but had never read, and I was excited to read it aloud with the kids. It was a little less fantastical/imaginative than I expected: of course it is fantasy, but some of the themes are pretty deep—themes of unfulfilled dreams, the meaning of family and home, the place we hold in this world and how we relate to those who are different from us, and the timeless challenges inherent in the parent-teen dynamic. I liked the chance to explore these issues within the context of a sweet adventure story.
The prose here is fairly old-fashioned, which the kids didn’t love, but mostly we really liked this one (but probably not enough to continue with the series).
My Rating: 4 Stars // Charleston’s Rating: 4 Stars // Book Format: Print