its_tara's review against another edition
3.0
This book follows the story of Ludlow Fitch, a boy from The City, who runs away from his apparently awful parents, and ends up stowing away in a carriage bound for the small hillside village of Pagus Parvus. Through a twist of fate, he ends up meeting Joe Zabbidou - a man whose profession is a 'Secret Pawnbroker', a job which entails listening to the woes and secrets of the villagers, and paying them for their troubles, all the while allowing them to sleep better at night, and subtly changing the course of things in the village for good.
This book, for me, was an easy read, probably because it's meant for readers younger than myself. However, I got given the book, and I thought I'd give it a go. The easiness of the language in this was actually fairly nice, making the book relaxing, and quick to get into. The curiosity of what secrets the villagers had kept me turning pages, and I finished the book relatively quickly.
I'd reccomend this book to anyone with a curiosity streak, and to anyone who enjoys YA fiction. Definitely worth a read.
This book, for me, was an easy read, probably because it's meant for readers younger than myself. However, I got given the book, and I thought I'd give it a go. The easiness of the language in this was actually fairly nice, making the book relaxing, and quick to get into. The curiosity of what secrets the villagers had kept me turning pages, and I finished the book relatively quickly.
I'd reccomend this book to anyone with a curiosity streak, and to anyone who enjoys YA fiction. Definitely worth a read.
seakingnur's review against another edition
5.0
This is amazing. It kept me thoroughly entertained and had no boring parts whatsoever. The Black Book of Secrets is not like other books. It's completely fresh and different and has wonderful characters. I would recommend this book to everyone. It is original and new and fresh and just fantastic!
bak8382's review against another edition
3.0
I've been meaning to read this for awhile, and I finally worked it into my audio book rotation, although at 6 discs it was almost too long for my relatively short commute.
This has an intriguing premise, eccentric characters, and my favorite a Victorian England setting. It's not a title I would have stuck with had I been reading the print version, but as an audio book I enjoyed it enough to keep going. I was interested in how things would be resolved mostly because I enjoyed the characters who were voiced nicely with different accents.
The ending was a bit much for me, once the Jeremiah storyline was resolved the story began to drag. I also find it hard to believe that there is only one secret pawnbroker, it just doesn't seem like he would be able to help that many people! Sometimes the switching from first to third person was confusing, but I chalk that up to the fact that I wasn't always paying attention.
This has an intriguing premise, eccentric characters, and my favorite a Victorian England setting. It's not a title I would have stuck with had I been reading the print version, but as an audio book I enjoyed it enough to keep going. I was interested in how things would be resolved mostly because I enjoyed the characters who were voiced nicely with different accents.
The ending was a bit much for me, once the Jeremiah storyline was resolved the story began to drag. I also find it hard to believe that there is only one secret pawnbroker, it just doesn't seem like he would be able to help that many people! Sometimes the switching from first to third person was confusing, but I chalk that up to the fact that I wasn't always paying attention.
awzuma's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was a cute read, but I got confused with some of the characters’ names. Also, how come everyone is morally gray in this book? I really enjoyed the characters, particularly Joe. The author did a good job of character building and making you connect with them.
klashmore4's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
celinececilia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Ein Buch zum Eintauchen.
Inhalt:
Der Junge Ludlow trifft, auf seiner Flucht vor der Vergangenheit, auf den Pfandleiher Joe Z.. Dieser handelt allerdings nicht mit dem üblichen Zeug, sondern mit Geheimnissen. Ludlow wird sein Gehilfe und findet sich in einer unheimlichen Welt voller düsterer Geheimnisse wieder.
Eindrücke:
• spannendes Kinderbuch
• sehr düster
• stark ausgearbeitete Charaktere
• dunkle Atmosphäre
• Die Geschichte konnte mich anfangs in ihren Bann ziehen, hat etwas nachgelassen
• gute Kindergeschichte ab 11 J.
• besonders die Charaktere haben Spaß gemacht und waren greifbar
Inhalt:
Der Junge Ludlow trifft, auf seiner Flucht vor der Vergangenheit, auf den Pfandleiher Joe Z.. Dieser handelt allerdings nicht mit dem üblichen Zeug, sondern mit Geheimnissen. Ludlow wird sein Gehilfe und findet sich in einer unheimlichen Welt voller düsterer Geheimnisse wieder.
Eindrücke:
• spannendes Kinderbuch
• sehr düster
• stark ausgearbeitete Charaktere
• dunkle Atmosphäre
• Die Geschichte konnte mich anfangs in ihren Bann ziehen, hat etwas nachgelassen
• gute Kindergeschichte ab 11 J.
• besonders die Charaktere haben Spaß gemacht und waren greifbar
gkneveu's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this up in a used book store and read the first couple pages. It's a good, very creep, beginning and very intriguing. But I admit that I probably wouldn't have bought it had been at full price.
I really like the initial idea for the book. A pawnbroker buys peoples deepest, darkest secrets. But I don't think it was executed that well. I think it's a bad sign when you're reading a book and you can't help but keep thinking what a better job a really good author could have done with the idea. I think it could have been better with a fantasy aspect to it. I think the idea might have worked better with magic: For example the book could have been magic, so that once the secrets were written down they couldn't be spoken of again (honestly, I suspected this for a little while, but it isn't) I don't see why anyone would feel more secure with their secrets written down in a book in the possession of a stranger. I, for one, would feel much more ill at ease knowing that they were so accessible to anyone who might get their hands on that book, after all it says on the cover of that very same book that "What is spoken flies, what is written never dies."
I didn't feel like the characters were that well developed. Looking back I can't really describe what the characters were like. I felt, especially, that the relationship between Ludlow and Joe should have been built on much, much more. Joe wasn't very well rounded either and I know he was probably meant to be mysterious and interesting I think it could have been done better.
Also, I was a bit perplexed by the ending. It was not was I expected at all and I think it could have ended about ten pages earlier and I would have been fine with it. I just thought the underground cave and the shelves and shelves upon "secret books" was a bit bizarre. I wish more would have been explained about the point of secret pawnbrokers as well.
sienna_123's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mabeebe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
iffer's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this novel. Although it was an "easy" read insofar as the reading level, the language was smooth and flowing. Higgins's The Black Book of Secrets was a breath of fresh air for me in the children's literature genre since it was finally a new idea. The mood of the book is dark, and the "feeling" that it gave me while I was reading it was in the vein of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." The plot is definitely "slow" in terms of what most kids would probably like, since there isn't much action except for the attention-grabbing opening, but I think that it's well worth the read.
The Black Book of Secrets revolves around the idea that everyone lives their lives with secrets and regret, yet everyone deserves to have the chance to unburden themselves and receive a second chance. Like the main "villain" in the story, Higgins also emphasizes that all people have choices, and it is these choices that define and shape our destinies. I think that Higgins manages to address these ideas without sounding too much like she's preaching. The novel is also written with in a quirky tongue-in-cheek style that relieves what could otherwise be too dark for a children's novel.
The Black Book of Secrets revolves around the idea that everyone lives their lives with secrets and regret, yet everyone deserves to have the chance to unburden themselves and receive a second chance. Like the main "villain" in the story, Higgins also emphasizes that all people have choices, and it is these choices that define and shape our destinies. I think that Higgins manages to address these ideas without sounding too much like she's preaching. The novel is also written with in a quirky tongue-in-cheek style that relieves what could otherwise be too dark for a children's novel.