zimmerlemon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
That was so precious! I loved the writing style and so many little turns of phrases. I would have loved but it was lovely and I want to read it a hundred times over
Spoiler
just a liiiiitttleeeee more at the end because like what the heck happens now??wanderaven's review
4.0
I'm always particularly intrigued when a friend who isn't a Reader (capital R, there, as in someone like me who is constantly, constantly thinking about writing and stories - mine and everyone else's, and reading whenever possible) recommends a book to me. They often tend to have a lower threshold for sticking with a novel if it's not engaging them, and so I like it when they recommend something they loved.
I suspect that another motivation for recommending this to me was the element of cellos in the story - I've been (somewhat dismally, these days) messing around with a cello the last couple of years.
What a lovely, fantastical tale this is. It reminds of classics like A Little Princess, building a warm and magical-seeming world without actually delving into fantasy. I suspect this novel is appropriate for readers of an age who would also enjoy Little, though I adored it as an adult as well.
Sophie has the most amazing guardian/adopted parent ever created and because of this, the authorities in London are going to take her away from him because of the horrors inherit in a girl living with a man who allows her to wear trousers and think for herself.
Sophie remembers shreds of the mother she lost when she was only one year old and is convinced she's still alive. Under threat of being taken away from her guardian, Charles, and with his confidence in what she believes, they head off to Paris. There, Sophie meets the proud and almost mystical children who live above everyone else - on the roofs of Paris.
"Muscles, she thought, are a thing worth having. They make the world easier to reach."
Rooftoppers was a bit of a diversion for me and one I'm happy to have explored. Will certainly be reading Rundell again.
I suspect that another motivation for recommending this to me was the element of cellos in the story - I've been (somewhat dismally, these days) messing around with a cello the last couple of years.
What a lovely, fantastical tale this is. It reminds of classics like A Little Princess, building a warm and magical-seeming world without actually delving into fantasy. I suspect this novel is appropriate for readers of an age who would also enjoy Little, though I adored it as an adult as well.
Sophie has the most amazing guardian/adopted parent ever created and because of this, the authorities in London are going to take her away from him because of the horrors inherit in a girl living with a man who allows her to wear trousers and think for herself.
Sophie remembers shreds of the mother she lost when she was only one year old and is convinced she's still alive. Under threat of being taken away from her guardian, Charles, and with his confidence in what she believes, they head off to Paris. There, Sophie meets the proud and almost mystical children who live above everyone else - on the roofs of Paris.
"Muscles, she thought, are a thing worth having. They make the world easier to reach."
Rooftoppers was a bit of a diversion for me and one I'm happy to have explored. Will certainly be reading Rundell again.
elsmith09's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
fantasyfave57's review against another edition
5.0
Just finished reading this book with my girls, such an enjoyable book, all Katherine rundells books are full of imagination, adventure and excitement, we absolutely loved it, the girls were sad it was over and wanted more,
inkdrinker83's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely book that makes me want to go to Paris and explore the rooftops and learn to play the cello.
alm_07's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
isabel_6's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
asiucci's review against another edition
3.0
It started out brilliantly for me, the first chapters were great and wouldn’t let me put the book down, but once the book became plot driven, it lost its magic for me. I usually have no trouble reading books that are targeted to a younger audience but i really found this one kind of boring at times.
lindasdarby's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to this in the car and I wonder if it might have been better to read it but the reader was quite good. I liked this story but I felt there were some issues with pacing in the book and the ending left me with too many questions. The author's other book had themes that I probably appreciated more but this book is still worth your time.
starryeved's review against another edition
4.0
Play, she told herself. Remember how it sounds when you dream.
A whimsical, magical tale, even without true magic. Rooftoppers is lyrical, poetic, beautiful in its own fairy tale-like right -- like something out of Neil Gaiman's or Katherine Arden's writing -- and not a word is wasted.
Rooftoppers is the story of young Sophie, infant survivor of a shipwreck found in a cello case, raised in England under the tutelage of the scholarly Charles Maxim. Upon governmental ruling that the two should be separated, they escape to France, where they begin to try and look for Sophie's parentage through sparse clues -- and it is there by the Seine where she meets Matteo, a Rooftopper. And the rest is pure magic.
This is a timeless tale, wonderfully charming and classic in its depiction of lovable characters (Charles! What a lovely man!) and a simple tale woven into the fabrics of separate worlds across cities. No regrets reading this at all.