gabs_myfullbookshelf's review
2.0
I have two opposing viewpoints on this: 1. This book was not all that enjoyable to read and 2. this book documents important Disney history, and therefore it is not "bad" per se.
That being said, it is in desperate need of a good edit. The passages honestly read like scholastic essays, in part because a lot of information gets repeated, but in a way that's rephrased, which gives off the vibe of trying to meet a word count. (I'm sure that's not the case, but that's how it felt.) The repetitiveness initially was just information from a previous story being repeated (e.g. Walt's miniature cabin) but it turned into information being repeated three paragraphs down from where it was initially stated.
Personal enjoyment-wise, I most enjoyed the Parks stories, since that's my main niche. And there are definitely some tidbits in here that are interesting regardless of the writing style. For example, the "Cinderella horse" on the carousel, which Disney itself acknowledges in some official guides, is actually some weird urban legend that never got corrected. It's just a random horse. However, there is an official Mary Poppins horse. And I'm always happy to read about the history of Carousel of Progress, because that ride fascinates me. I would say I did know a decent amount of the Parks stories already, but to be fair, I listen to a podcast that Jim Korkis is on fairly frequently-so I probably heard the stories directly from him, or from someone who had previously read his work.
I am not saying the information in here is uninteresting, because I enjoy Jim Korkis when he tells these stories in other mediums. However, the writing is such a slog at times that I could not get into it. Purely for historical documentation, though, I can appreciate the book, which is why it gets an extra star.
That being said, it is in desperate need of a good edit. The passages honestly read like scholastic essays, in part because a lot of information gets repeated, but in a way that's rephrased, which gives off the vibe of trying to meet a word count. (I'm sure that's not the case, but that's how it felt.) The repetitiveness initially was just information from a previous story being repeated (e.g. Walt's miniature cabin) but it turned into information being repeated three paragraphs down from where it was initially stated.
Personal enjoyment-wise, I most enjoyed the Parks stories, since that's my main niche. And there are definitely some tidbits in here that are interesting regardless of the writing style. For example, the "Cinderella horse" on the carousel, which Disney itself acknowledges in some official guides, is actually some weird urban legend that never got corrected. It's just a random horse. However, there is an official Mary Poppins horse. And I'm always happy to read about the history of Carousel of Progress, because that ride fascinates me. I would say I did know a decent amount of the Parks stories already, but to be fair, I listen to a podcast that Jim Korkis is on fairly frequently-so I probably heard the stories directly from him, or from someone who had previously read his work.
I am not saying the information in here is uninteresting, because I enjoy Jim Korkis when he tells these stories in other mediums. However, the writing is such a slog at times that I could not get into it. Purely for historical documentation, though, I can appreciate the book, which is why it gets an extra star.
sneakyfoxeh's review
3.0
I'm a huge Disney fan and former cast member, so this book seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, the first section was pretty dull, repetitive and boring. I'm hoping that the second section gets better.
themeadowlibrary's review
4.0
Very fun, fast read. I liked the episodic nature of the book. Some of the stories were, of course, more interesting to me than others, but they all had the fun and adventurous spirit of Disney. The writing did feel a little amateur to me, which is why I only gave it 4 stars. Nice vacation read or weekend book if you want something easy and light.
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