oddlyconfusing's review against another edition
4.0
David Almonds neues Buch „Ein finsterheller Tag“, ist alles andere als was man erwartet, rechnet man doch mit einer Detektivgeschichte als Davie von seinem Freund erfährt, dass eine Leiche in seiner Heimatstadt gefunden wurde. Sofort machen sich die neugierigen Jungen auf den Weg, um sich den Fund genauer anzusehen und für die beiden ist es sofort klar, wer der Mörder ist, als sie die Leiche von Jimmy Killen sehen. Es muss Zorro gewesen sein, ein Junge aus der Craig Familie. Die beiden Familien liegen schon lange im Streit und drohen sich mit Mord, doch was hat das Fass zum Überlaufen gebracht?
Davie will sich selbst auf die Suche nach dem Täter machen. Auf seinem Weg durch die Stadt, begegnet er den Menschen, mit welchen er aufgewachsen ist, er lauscht ihren Theorien und Gedanken und folgt selbst seiner Fantasie und träumt von sich, seinen verstorbenen Vater und dem Mord.
„Er wandert heute durch alles, als wäre es ein Traum, als wäre es eine Geschichte, die sich entfaltet. Es ist eine Geschichte von Entdeckungen, obwohl er durch Orte geht, die er so gut kennt. Es ist eine Geschichte, in der jeder Schritt ein Wort ist, das ihn weiter ins Unbekannte führt.“
Die Geschichte um Davie hat mich überrascht. In vielerlei Hinsicht. Ich habe eine Detektivgeschichte erwartetet und auch bekommen. Nur eben sehr anders, als erwartet. Viel tiefgründiger und bildgewaltiger. Themen wie Familienfehden, Hass, Vorurteile, Rollenbilder, Krankheit und Tod werden ebenso aufgegriffen, wie freie Entfaltung und das Erwachsenwerden an sich.
„Es gibt überall versteckte Orte, die nur darauf warten, gefunden zu werden“, sagte Dad. „Sogar in einer kleinen Stadt wie dieser, wo man meinen könnte, man hätte schon alles gesehen, was es zu sehen gibt.“
Dabei schwankt der Schreibstil zwischen philosophisch, poetisch und durch die Augen eines Kindes verträumt. Zu Beginn ist es nicht so einfach hinzufinden, doch nach den ersten Seiten gewöhnt man sich daran und wird von Davies Gedanken und seiner Reise durch die Kleinstadt mitgezogen. Die Hauptfigur und auch die Schauplätze sind toll beschrieben – manchmal etwas aussergewöhnlich, aber unbedingt lesenswert!
Davie will sich selbst auf die Suche nach dem Täter machen. Auf seinem Weg durch die Stadt, begegnet er den Menschen, mit welchen er aufgewachsen ist, er lauscht ihren Theorien und Gedanken und folgt selbst seiner Fantasie und träumt von sich, seinen verstorbenen Vater und dem Mord.
„Er wandert heute durch alles, als wäre es ein Traum, als wäre es eine Geschichte, die sich entfaltet. Es ist eine Geschichte von Entdeckungen, obwohl er durch Orte geht, die er so gut kennt. Es ist eine Geschichte, in der jeder Schritt ein Wort ist, das ihn weiter ins Unbekannte führt.“
Die Geschichte um Davie hat mich überrascht. In vielerlei Hinsicht. Ich habe eine Detektivgeschichte erwartetet und auch bekommen. Nur eben sehr anders, als erwartet. Viel tiefgründiger und bildgewaltiger. Themen wie Familienfehden, Hass, Vorurteile, Rollenbilder, Krankheit und Tod werden ebenso aufgegriffen, wie freie Entfaltung und das Erwachsenwerden an sich.
„Es gibt überall versteckte Orte, die nur darauf warten, gefunden zu werden“, sagte Dad. „Sogar in einer kleinen Stadt wie dieser, wo man meinen könnte, man hätte schon alles gesehen, was es zu sehen gibt.“
Dabei schwankt der Schreibstil zwischen philosophisch, poetisch und durch die Augen eines Kindes verträumt. Zu Beginn ist es nicht so einfach hinzufinden, doch nach den ersten Seiten gewöhnt man sich daran und wird von Davies Gedanken und seiner Reise durch die Kleinstadt mitgezogen. Die Hauptfigur und auch die Schauplätze sind toll beschrieben – manchmal etwas aussergewöhnlich, aber unbedingt lesenswert!
sarahrita's review against another edition
3.0
I feel as though this may be an unpopular opinion, and though this review will probably seem mostly negative, I will be sure to include some aspects I did enjoy, and please remember that this is all subjective. I may not have enjoyed it so much but I have no doubt that others will love it.
The writing was very nicely done, and whimsical, almost stream of conscious style. On that alone, I couldn't fault it. It would be a perfect summer read, especially if you're able to lay out on the grass under the sun and feel like you're there with the characters.
The issues I had with the plot itself were that... well, overall, it just felt like the author didn't fully commit to their story. There was a major plot point which I had expected, or hoped, to play more of a role in shaping the main characters actions and thoughts but it had next to no affect. The ending basically negated the presence of that particular plot point as well. I'm trying to hard to not spoil this.
The characters were a little washed out for my liking, though they had SO much potential. Wilf and Gosh could have been much stronger, as well as Davie. It's as though they let the plot lead them instead of leading themselves which took away a lot of the presence.
Overall it felt quite disconnected. I feel as though something like this may have worked better as a picture story book, a little more condensed and precise with imagery to complement it.
All in all, not a bad read, but not one of my favourites. I understand this is for young readers, but I feel like they could handle a bit more... strength.
The writing was very nicely done, and whimsical, almost stream of conscious style. On that alone, I couldn't fault it. It would be a perfect summer read, especially if you're able to lay out on the grass under the sun and feel like you're there with the characters.
The issues I had with the plot itself were that... well, overall, it just felt like the author didn't fully commit to their story. There was a major plot point which I had expected, or hoped, to play more of a role in shaping the main characters actions and thoughts but it had next to no affect. The ending basically negated the presence of that particular plot point as well. I'm trying to hard to not spoil this.
The characters were a little washed out for my liking, though they had SO much potential. Wilf and Gosh could have been much stronger, as well as Davie. It's as though they let the plot lead them instead of leading themselves which took away a lot of the presence.
Overall it felt quite disconnected. I feel as though something like this may have worked better as a picture story book, a little more condensed and precise with imagery to complement it.
All in all, not a bad read, but not one of my favourites. I understand this is for young readers, but I feel like they could handle a bit more... strength.
nitroglycerin's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
It’s cliche to describe something we coming of age, but this is a coming of age novel of a boy becoming a teen, growing up, learning how life really is etc.
I picked this because Almond is a local author to the north east, and this book is set in the Tyneside area which is an immediate draw for me.
I picked this because Almond is a local author to the north east, and this book is set in the Tyneside area which is an immediate draw for me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
sean67's review against another edition
3.0
Another new book from David Almond, the picture at this point says cover coming soon, well it has been and gone, but anyway, this was typical Almond fare with his unique style, and there are some good moments as well as ordinary moments. He is not a favourite author of mine, but he is worth reading, and always has something to say that makes you think. He may be an Almond, but he is more than a nut.
msample4's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
sianalexhoare's review
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
managedbybooks's review against another edition
2.0
*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a miss for me. There really wasn't a lot of plot to follow.
Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a miss for me. There really wasn't a lot of plot to follow.
tracey_s's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'll start by saying that as I'm not really the target audience for this middle grade/YA book, I didn't connect with Davie or the other residents of the small Tyneside town as much as I wanted to.
The writing style is lyrical and dreamlike, interspersed with grounding dialogue in the locals' dialect, which I enjoyed. As Davie is trying to grapple with grief and growing up, this style of storytelling seems fitting. The story is essentially a coming of age summer walk through the countryside and the small town that Davie has grown up in, and interactions with townspeople, both pleasant and not, along the way.
I believe for the right reader this will be a very special book.
I'll start by saying that as I'm not really the target audience for this middle grade/YA book, I didn't connect with Davie or the other residents of the small Tyneside town as much as I wanted to.
The writing style is lyrical and dreamlike, interspersed with grounding dialogue in the locals' dialect, which I enjoyed. As Davie is trying to grapple with grief and growing up, this style of storytelling seems fitting. The story is essentially a coming of age summer walk through the countryside and the small town that Davie has grown up in, and interactions with townspeople, both pleasant and not, along the way.
I believe for the right reader this will be a very special book.
hollyhughes's review
2.0
Overall I did like this book but I found it a challenge to push through to the end. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting from this book as it was very philosophical and dreamy. It was just a bit random. I also found this author's writing style hard to get used to. Personally I wouldn't recommend this book.