Reviews

The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

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electrozombie's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

kamrynharned's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book got me out of a mini reading slump! This book was fast-paced, exciting, creative but very stimulating and thought-provoking. I didn’t know it was possible for a silly (honestly, could be considered YA!) adventure book to touch on the miracle of human life so well. Similarly to how Douglas Adams uses humor to poke fun at the absurdity of our existence, this book is funny and lighthearted, but unlike Douglas Adam’s, it advocates that human beings are wonderful creations and have meaning and purpose in the world. In this story, the “jokers” of the world are the ones who have opened their eyes to the constant amazement the world has to offer.
The plot of this book was wonderfully paced. I had the ending of the story figured out long before the end, but it was so fun to follow along two adventures simultaneously: the adventures of Hans and his father through Europe, and the story from the Sticky Bun book. I felt that everything was tied well together in the end, but keeping track of all the characters in the sticky bun story took some effort. I enjoyed the young, innocent but thoughtful voice of Hans in the book. Maybe sometimes the voice was a little too mature for the age he was supposed to be in the book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
This book solidified the fact that I just really enjoy creativity and even absurdity in fiction. This author really did something so different, and I loved it!