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ifyouhavebooks's review against another edition
3.0
An exceptional book that I think poses many important questions in regards to how we, as humans, treat animals and nature around us. I love the important topics this book covers, as it is sorely needed today but Tan's writing style just wasn't for me. It often took me out of the story and I would have to read it again, but despite this I truly love everything this book represents and stands for. My favorite stories were about the horses, butterflies, dogs, and sharks. Below I have typed three lengthy but important quotes that are the most meaningful to me from the book. I know I will always come back to them and I hope this pushes you to give this book a chance.
"Horses bought and sold, groomed and beaten, working to sleep and sleeping to work, and fires lit under their bellies when they failed to rouse in the quiet hours before any other creature is expected to stir. Carved in the timbers of multistory stables, the mantra of their keepers: Sentiment pays no dividend. Horses know this more than most. The greatest curse of any animal is to be worth money to men."
"Only the souls of horses are, mercifully, of no use to men, not worth a dollar. They shake themselves loose. They dream of running along some green and grassy ancestral plain. They'll never find it."
"The city demands no requiem for the faithful, only further coin from a knackered corpse: stripped down for dog meat and candle fat, bones burned and ground down into fertilizer, skins tooled into straps and fastened to the withers of their offspring, ligaments boiled for furniture glue, and like some terrible, belated retribution, a blight of fly-borne typhoid rising up from fast pits of manure that nobody knows what to do with."
"Horses bought and sold, groomed and beaten, working to sleep and sleeping to work, and fires lit under their bellies when they failed to rouse in the quiet hours before any other creature is expected to stir. Carved in the timbers of multistory stables, the mantra of their keepers: Sentiment pays no dividend. Horses know this more than most. The greatest curse of any animal is to be worth money to men."
"Only the souls of horses are, mercifully, of no use to men, not worth a dollar. They shake themselves loose. They dream of running along some green and grassy ancestral plain. They'll never find it."
"The city demands no requiem for the faithful, only further coin from a knackered corpse: stripped down for dog meat and candle fat, bones burned and ground down into fertilizer, skins tooled into straps and fastened to the withers of their offspring, ligaments boiled for furniture glue, and like some terrible, belated retribution, a blight of fly-borne typhoid rising up from fast pits of manure that nobody knows what to do with."
mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
Een hit en miss bundel van verhalen over een stad (of steden) en dieren. Van orkas in de lucht tot een haai zo groot als een wijk tot kikkers die eerst directieleden waren tot vissen van de maan. Van alles komt voorbij en het was echt magisch om te lezen, wat een fantasie heeft deze schrijver. Alleen vond ik sommige verhalen erg langdradig (en soms ook gewoon net iets te vreemd) en ik merkte vaak dat ik gewoon mijn aandacht verloor.
Er was een ding dat mij steeds blij maakte.. en dat waren de prachtige illustraties. Mijn hemel, wat een talent. Echt ik genoot telkens weer van de illustraties en soms keek ik er nog een tijdje na want je bleef iets ontdekken.
Er was een ding dat mij steeds blij maakte.. en dat waren de prachtige illustraties. Mijn hemel, wat een talent. Echt ik genoot telkens weer van de illustraties en soms keek ik er nog een tijdje na want je bleef iets ontdekken.
read_nap_repeat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
skye_line709's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ohlhauc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
my_inner_filomena's review against another edition
5.0
Tohle bylo něco neuvěřitelnýho. Taková síla, zdánlivě odevzdaná naléhavost pulzovala z každý věty, z každýho slova, z každýho obrazu. Nesmírně aktuální, nesmírně potřebné.
Dílo Shauna Tana je obtížné vklínit do jedné věkové kategorie. Bohaté ilustrace – tuze sugestivní – svádějí k zařazení mezi knihy dětské, témata a celkové ladění se na dětskou knihu může jevit těžké a pochmurné. Sama jsem za takové knihy ráda, narušují hranice žánrů, věku, navyklých představ o tom, co se hodí pro děti a co pro dospělé; viklají se zdmi a rozhrnují závěsy do snových světů se znepokojivými mosty do známé reality. Příběhy z vnitřního města reflektují soužití s jinými živočichy ve fantaskních prostředích, situacích tísnivých i radostných (ačkoli těch je značně méně). Nezřídka vyvolávají sevření srdcí, mráz v obratlích, přistihnutí se, že váš pohled nezastavuje papír stránky, ale proniká znepokojeně hlouběji a dál. Ocitáte se v zastřené, ne nepříjemné melancholii.
Listování Příběhy z vnitřního města znamená vstoupit na nebezpečnou půdu. Kdo však jednou vstoupil, jen zdráhavě se bude otáčet zpět.
Dílo Shauna Tana je obtížné vklínit do jedné věkové kategorie. Bohaté ilustrace – tuze sugestivní – svádějí k zařazení mezi knihy dětské, témata a celkové ladění se na dětskou knihu může jevit těžké a pochmurné. Sama jsem za takové knihy ráda, narušují hranice žánrů, věku, navyklých představ o tom, co se hodí pro děti a co pro dospělé; viklají se zdmi a rozhrnují závěsy do snových světů se znepokojivými mosty do známé reality. Příběhy z vnitřního města reflektují soužití s jinými živočichy ve fantaskních prostředích, situacích tísnivých i radostných (ačkoli těch je značně méně). Nezřídka vyvolávají sevření srdcí, mráz v obratlích, přistihnutí se, že váš pohled nezastavuje papír stránky, ale proniká znepokojeně hlouběji a dál. Ocitáte se v zastřené, ne nepříjemné melancholii.
Listování Příběhy z vnitřního města znamená vstoupit na nebezpečnou půdu. Kdo však jednou vstoupil, jen zdráhavě se bude otáčet zpět.
jrosenstein's review against another edition
4.0
Utter unique, mystical and poetic and evocative and gorgeous text and illustrations.
blairmahoney's review against another edition
5.0
More brilliant work from Tan. Come for the luminous artwork but stay for the fantastical stories that go with them. A beautiful book in all respects.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Moving and beautiful set of city-set animal/ecology sketches.
4.5 stars.
Shaun Tan's picture books are exquisite, often profound. This is for older readers, and has serious points to make in its series of vignettes that take place in an anonymous city.
Some worked wonderfully well, poignant stories of human interactions with animals, of greed, thoughtlessness, sadness, love. A few went over my head and I didn't enjoy, but the vast majority were poetic and some even heart-breaking.
My favourites were the short but perfect 'Rhino' and the 'Cat'. The book is over 200 pages but around half of that is illustration, full page, colour, just spectacular.
There is so much here for children, teens and adults to discuss and digest. Issues of human materialism, ecological ruin, animal welfare and preservation... But it won't be easy to access for any reader. The imagery is quite mature, the language rich.
I would suggest ages 10 and over, but selected students ideally. A treasure trove of a book for the right readers.
With thanks to Walker Books for the sample reading copy.
4.5 stars.
Shaun Tan's picture books are exquisite, often profound. This is for older readers, and has serious points to make in its series of vignettes that take place in an anonymous city.
Some worked wonderfully well, poignant stories of human interactions with animals, of greed, thoughtlessness, sadness, love. A few went over my head and I didn't enjoy, but the vast majority were poetic and some even heart-breaking.
My favourites were the short but perfect 'Rhino' and the 'Cat'. The book is over 200 pages but around half of that is illustration, full page, colour, just spectacular.
There is so much here for children, teens and adults to discuss and digest. Issues of human materialism, ecological ruin, animal welfare and preservation... But it won't be easy to access for any reader. The imagery is quite mature, the language rich.
I would suggest ages 10 and over, but selected students ideally. A treasure trove of a book for the right readers.
With thanks to Walker Books for the sample reading copy.